gods and demons
by odstpilot
Summary: "You want to know why we're so brutal, Captain? When faced with extinction, every other alternative is preferable!" The Shadow of Intent holding master chief, Arbiter, Cortana, and Sgt Johnson, fails to escape the destruction of the installation 04B. They find themselves next to an unknown space station, and what is this federation? [Cancelled]
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1

John watched as Sgt Johnson entered approached the controls of the ring. He could hear the flood and sentinels fighting each other. The sooner they could activate this ring, the better.

"A premature activation will destroy this ring!" guilty spark exclaimed.

"Deal with it." Johnson spat, not caring about the lightbulb's point on the matter.  
"Will destroy this installation." the forerunner AI muttered to himself. Just when he was about to kill Johnson, a burst of gunfire occurred, catching his attention.

"Chief, what are you doing?" Johnson asked, ducking away from the shooting. Guilty spark then fired his laser beam at the Spartan, knocking him down and taking out his shields.

"Protocol dictates action! I see now that helping you was wrong!" guilty spark shouted, before he noticed the Arbiter and fired upon the alien, shoving him out of the room.

"You are the child of my makers. Inheritor of all they left behind! You are forerunner. But this ring is mine." spark growled at the Chief, his bulb now turning rampant red.

Before chief could fight the AI, a blast of red hit the back of guilty spark and destroyed him.

"Thanks." Chief said.

"Don't mention it. Lets get out of here." Johnson said, as he activated the ring.

"Guys, run!" Cortana exclaimed, prompting the two to run to the door, seeing the Arbiter.

"Glad to see you're still alive. Where's the forerunner?" he asked.

"Went crazy and tried to kill both of us, so we put him down." Johnson said, as they ran into a shooting war between the flood and the sentinels.

Arbiter only grunted in response as they gunned down their enemies. The next step was trying to get the hell out of dodge.

"Drive, demon! We need to get off this ring!" Arbiter said, as he manned the chaingun.

"Now that's a badass." Johnson said, referring to the arbiter, who used the human weapon to great effect against their enemies.

"Cortana, how long until we approach the carrier?" John asked, as he turned a flood combat form into a speed-bump.

"A few more minutes, chief. We're right on track." Cortana said, as part of the ring exploded.

"I don't understand how your construct can be so calm when death seems so imminent." Arbiter said, turning the .50 caliber machine gun onto the sentinels and turned them into scrap metal.

"There's the jump! Floor it, Spartan!" Cortana exclaimed, watching as they flew from the last piece of forerunner metal into the hangerbay of the covenant assault carrier.

"You know, you could make the landing more easier." Johnson said, gripping his shoulder.

"Johnson, you and Arbiter head to the bridge. Chief, find me a terminal." Cortana ordered. It didn't take long for chief to find terminal and plug Cortana in. Her holographic image appeared on top of the holo projector and she quickly activated the engines.

"Hang on." she said to the chief, as they quickly went into the vertical. Chief held onto the terminal for dear life, only to be sent flying thanks to an unshackled Ghost. He then pounded his armored hand into the deck, stopping his descent.

"Thank god." Cortana said, watching chief crawl to her. Cortana wanted to leap from the holostand and hug John, though she realized how silly that would actually be.

"If we don't make it." she started when John cut in.

"We'll make it." he calmly said, as if he knew everything would turn out alright.

"It's been an honor serving with you, John." Cortana softly said, wanting to tell John something more personal.

…

"Captain, you'll want to see this." Dax said, seeing a large unknown vessel that came out of the wormhole. As she scanned it, her expression turned to worry and fear. The ship was massive, at 5,000 meters long. She was also reading hundreds, if not a thousand, laser turrets and dozens of powerful plasma guns all around the ship.

She also took notice of multiple plasma scars and holes in the armor of the ship. The unknown vessel was clearly built for war and had seen it.

"What is that?" Sisko asked, seeing the mammoth vessel itself. He wondered if it was some new Dominion warship. If it was, there was nothing they could do to prevent the station from being destroyed.

"Don't know. The energy readings are off the scale." Dax said.

"Have you tried hailing them?" Kira asked.

"I'm trying now. Lets hope they're friendly."

…

"Chief, where the hell are we?" Johnson asked, seeing the space station parked next to their ship. The station was circular, with 4 massive pylons that seemed to bend inward to the 'core'.

"Don't know. Cortana, do you recognize that station?" Chief asked.

"Scanning. I don't recognize that station at all, chief. It's not human, forerunner, or even covenant. I am reading thousands of biosigns all across the station. Human, and others that i can't tell." Cortana said.

"Should we make first contact?" John asked.

"That'll be nice. Hey, we were in the neighborhood and decided to drop by in our massive warship." Johnson sarcastically said, lighting a cigar.

"Johnson, how many of those things do you have?" Cortana asked.

"Last one." he said, savoring the flavor.

"Forget it. Cortana, hail them." John said, sitting in the captain's chair.

Cortana attempted to send out a hail, only to realize that the communications were gone. So she decided on the old-fashioned morse code.

…

"Captain, that ship is sending us a message. It's in morse code." Miles O'brien said, furrowing his eyebrows.

"What does it say?" Sisko asked.

"It says 'hello. We wish to initiate first contact and meet with your leaders. Very important.' message ends." the engineer said.

"Not much for conversation. Send a message back. Tell them to come aboard to meet with us." Sisko said.

The bridge crew waited a few minutes until a shuttle left from the hanger of the ship and approached the station.

"That's odd. The shuttle is using ancient propulsions, comparable to the engines the shuttles used in the mid 22 century. And it's armed." Dax said.

"What kind of weapons?" Kira asked.

"I'm reading several chemical projected rockets, and a rapid-fire projectile weapon under the nose. Not as well armed as our shuttles, but that shuttle can take more of a beating." Dax replied.

"Bring her in. Lets go meet our guests." Sisko said, heading to one of the landing bays.

John piloted the Pelican towards the platform, and watched as they were lowered into the bay. A docking collar attacked itself to the back end of the shuttle, and the Pelican door opened.

"Lets go." Chief said, grabbing an assault rifle and put it on his back. Johnson put a battle rifle on his back, and Thel put two plasma rifles on his armor, and a carbine on his back. While Chief wanted to have a peaceful first contact, he wasn't taking any chances.

Sisko, Kira, and Dax were heading to the airlock when they heard a scream. Running to the airlock, they stopped in their tracks and looked at the three newcomers. One was clearly human, wearing some kind of armor, who was also smoking a cigar.

The second one caught their attention. He was seven feet tall and covered with armor from head to toe. On the armor, was the number 117 labeled on it.

The third visitor was even taller, standing at eight feet tall. He was covered with some ceremonial armor and had more of a lizard appearance.

And all of them were armed with rifles on their backs.

Sisko was about to call Odo and security, but decided not to. He had no idea who they were, and provoking them seemed like a bad idea.

"I'm Captain Sisko of Deep Space Nine. This is Major Kira Nerys of the Bajoran militia, and my science officer, Jadzia Dax." Sisko said.

"I'm Sgt Johnson of the UNSC marine corps. This here, is Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117 of the UNSC navy."

"Arbiter Thel Vadam of the Sangheili armed forces."

"What's this UNSC and Sangheili?" Dax asked.

"First, we need to head to sickbay. Doctor Bashir is going to need a blood sample from you three and your crew." Sisko said.

"What for?" Chief asked.

"It's classified." Dax said.

"We're not going anywhere unless you tell us why." Arbiter said.

"Security measure." Sisko said; this calmed the soldiers.

Entering sickbay, they saw a young man at a console, looking over some data.

"Doctor Bashir. I need you to take blood samples of our guests." Sisko said, catching the doctor's attention.

"Sure thing. You mind rolling up your sleeves?" Bashir asked, approaching them with a hypospray.

"What is that?" Johnson asked, eyeing the instrument.

"Hypospray. It's so i can take your blood." Bashir said, noting the man's suspicion. Don't they have advanced medical technology where they came from?

"Okay. i'll be watching." Johnson said.

John removed the armor from his hand and watched as Bashir also removed his blood. Like everyone else, Bashir did a double take when he saw how massive the chief and Arbiter was.

"Is that all?" John asked.

"Not yet. We need to confirm if you three are who you say you are." Bashir said.

"Me and the Chief are human, and the Arbiter is clearly an alien. Should we strip naked?" Johnson retorted.

Bashir looked over the data the blood was giving over. His eyes widened at several anomalies two of the guests gave off. But rather than make a scene, he decided to analyze the data when he was alone.

"Well, you three are in the clear." Bashir said.

"I could have told you that before hand." Johnson smirked, taking a draw of his cigar.

Sisko raised an eyebrow. The man's flippant remark and smoking a cigar was in stark contrast of the many starfleet officers he'd met. He was reminded of Garak.

"Lets take this conversation to the meeting room. Follow us." Sisko said.

John ignored the many stares and hushed whispers that seemed to infest everyone they walked by. Being a seven foot tall killing machine, he was used to it. He followed Commander Sisko to a meeting room, where he saw other officers sitting down. And they were all, except one, wearing a similar uniform to Sisko.

"Chief?" Johnson asked.

"I weight a full ton in this armor. Doubt any of those chairs can support my weight." John said.

"You could take off the armor." Dax said.

"No thanks." Chief curtly replied.

"Anyway, where did you guys come from?" Kira asked.

"Where'd you get that armor? And that warship?" O'brien asked.

"Cortana, you mind doing the honor?" Chief asked, pulling out the data chip and putting it on the table. Cortana's holographic body then appeared.

"Hello, everyone." she said, a smile on her face.

"An active AI in the palm of your hand?" Dax asked.

"Yes. I'm a third generation smart AI, also working for the UNSC." Cortana said, when Kira cut in.

"What's the UNSC?" she asked.

"United Nations Space Command. It's the military arm of Earth." Johnson proudly said.

"UNSC? You're not part of Starfleet?" Sisko asked.

"Never heard of starfleet. The UNSC was formed in the year 2163, after the Jovian moon campaigns and the rainforest wars. Humanity was finally united with one goal in mind, to explore the galaxy and expand." Cortana said.

"Interesting. We've never had this Jovian and rainforest war. And in 2163, humanity was part of the Federation: an alliance of many different species." Sisko said

"Peaceful first contact with alien species? That's a first." Cortana said.

"What makes you say that?" Kira asked.

"First contact with humans and aliens didn't go so smooth." Arbiter said.

"Sgt, do you know what year it is?" Odo asked.

"2553. Why?" Johnson asked.

Silence filled the room until O'brien spoke up.

"The current year is 2373."

"That's impossible." Thel said.

"It may very well be possible. We failed to escape the blast from Halo, and we still don't understand Forerunner tech. The slipspace portal was unstable already. Well, that's the only reason i can think of." Cortana said, earning odd looks from everyone else.

"Forerunner? Halo?" Dax asked.

"That's classified." John said.

"Well, you said you had something urgent to say. Lets hear it." Sisko said.

"Simple. We're looking for a way back home. It's apparent that we're in the wrong universe." Cortana said.

"Hate to disappoint you all, but we're stumped as well. It'll take time before we can figure a way out. In the meantime, you're welcome to make yourselves comfortable here at DS9." Sisko said.

"Thank you, sir. We'll try to stay out of everyone's way." John said.

"By the way, we'll need to check the rest of your crew." Odo said.

"Captain, we're all that's left of the crew. And why would you need to check our blood?" Arbiter asked.

"What i say does not leave this room. That wormhole leads to another sector of space that we call the Gamma quadrant. And in that quadrant we encountered a power that's called the Dominion. And they're lead by a shapeshifting species that call themselves the founders." Sisko explained.

"I presume they're hostile." Johnson said, throwing his used cigar away.

"Yes. They're attempting to sow chaos and pit the alpha quadrant powers against each other. And they've already attacked several of our ships, outposts, and colonies in the Gamma quadrant." Kira said.

"Makes sense. Why fight a unified galaxy when you can let them tear each other apart? You can conquer the territory without a drop of blood." Chief said.

"Clever bastards. If they're such a threat, why haven't you fought them?" Arbiter asked. Is this Federation still preparing for war?

"The Cardassians and Romulans had that idea as well. They took 20 warships, manned by combat vets to the homeworld of the founders. The plan failed. The fleet was destroyed in the blink of an eye." Worf said.

The news didn't even faze the trio.

"Just 20 ships? That's nothing. The Covenant fielded hundreds of ships to take many worlds. And the UNSC also fielded hundreds to defend their worlds." Johnson said.

"Covenant?" Dax asked.

"The aliens that we had first contact with. It quickly turned into a war. A war we just barely won." Chief said.

"So that explains your guns and armor." Kira said.

"If we're going to stay here, we need to know how this galaxy works. We need more information." Chief said.

"I'll send the necessary info to your ship. But i do have one last question." Sisko said.

"How come you three are the last crew on such a massive ship?" Kira asked.

"That's also a long story. I'm sending the information to your computers right now." Cortana said, shedding her info into the stations's network.

Inside sickbay, Bashir went over the bloodwork and his jaw fell in shock.

"Captain Sisko, you need to come here quickly. And bring the guests as well."


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

Sisko, Chief, Johnson, and Thel arrived into sickbay, meeting a worried Dr Bashir.

"Doctor, what's this about?" Sisko asked.

"I've found something odd about the Chief and Johnson. I extrapolated the DNA from the blood, and… i found this." Bashir said, activating one of the larger screens.

"What's that?" Sisko asked, looking at the screen.

"This is Sgt Johnson's. I'm seeing trace elements of what appears to be a parasite. Something that's unknown to our science." Bashir said.

"Captain, that parasite is called the flood. It's a species that thrives by consuming any and all organic life in the galaxy. Very tough to fight, let alone kill." Johnson said.

"You obviously survived." Bashir said.

"I did." Johnson said.

"Is this flood a threat?" Sisko asked.

"No. We killed all of them at the end of the war. There's no way they could have survived." Thel said.

"Still, I'd like to run some tests with this flood DNA." Bashir said.

"Doctor, you'll get one warning. If we encounter anyone who's attempting to experiment with the flood in any way, our orders are to terminate on site, along with any active flood samples." John said.

Bashir nodded his head, and then pulled up the Spartan's DNA on the screen. They saw bits and pieces of the augmentations John had.

"Doctor, what am i looking at?" Sisko asked.

"Some sort of bio-human engineering. The closest thing we have in our database is the borg. But this is different. If i could run tests on the Chief, i could learn more about this." Bashir said.

"That's up to the chief. If he doesn't want to to undergo any tests, than we must respect his wishes, as you would any other patient." Sisko said.

"No thanks, Doctor. I'm in good health, and you guys have nothing to fear from me." Chief said.

"If you say so. But i'm concerned about Johnson and this flood." Bashir said.

"I'm immune to the flood. If not, i'd be dead long ago. Hell, the Chief almost killed me when he found out." Johnson said.

"What?" Sisko asked, looking at the Spartan.

"It's true. It was after we first encountered the flood. We were separated during the fighting and had to make our own escape routes." Chief half-lied.

"We found each other later, and the first thing he does is to pull out his handgun and threatened to blow my brains out. I thought you'd be happy to see your old friend." Johnson sarcastically said.

"We had him undergo our own tests, and found that he was immune to the flood. Most likely as a result of his genetic enhancements." Cortana said.

"Genetic enhancements?" Bashir asked.

"That's right. I was enhanced over 50 years ago, as part of a program for the UNSC to make supersoldiers. And that led the way for the Chief's augmentations." Johnson said.

"I take it these were more advanced augmentations." Bashir said.

"That's correct. It's all classified, but i can say that it made me into the perfect soldier. Increased hand-eye coordination, near-indestructible bones, perfect day, night, and 20/20 vision. And that's just the tip of the iceberg." Chief said.

Sisko now looked worried.

"How many of you augments are there?" he asked.

"There was initially 33 SPARTAN-2s. Now there's less than a dozen left." Chief said.

Meanwhile, Arbiter was in the guest quarters going over the history of the Federation. He was impressed that humanity had managed to live in peace with the various alien species for so long. The technological advances caught his attention. In 100 years, humans had turned their homeworld from a bombed out hellhole, to a paradise for everyone. They even managed to equip their ships with advanced FTL drives, which they called warp drives.

"Impressive. Their list of victories must also commendable." Thel said, as he looked at their war records. He read how the NX-01 stopped the Xindi from destroying earth, how they helped defend earth against the Romulans. Next of importance, was the cold war against a warrior race called the Klingons.

Thel delved into the Klingons, wondering what would cause such a long cold war between the Federation and them.

"A warrior culture. They'd get along well with the Sangheili." the Arbiter mused.

Taking a break from his readings, he headed to look around the station letting his curiosity dictate his actions.

"Now that's something else." he said, seeing the wormhole open, with a pair of ships entering the wormhole.

Turning around, he watched as the various peoples mingled with each other, the humans of this universe catching his eye. He compared them to the humans of his universe, and how they were both similar and different. One big difference was how they interacted with the aliens of the station; they were obviously friendly, but Thel noticed these humans were soft, not willing to seek confrontation. The UNSC humans had teeth and were hardened thanks to 30 years of constant war.

Entering the promenade, he encountered Sgt Johnson and both sat at a table.

"Hello gentlemen. What can we get you?" a Dabo girl asked, approaching them.

"Whatever humans drink in this universe." Johnson said.

"Two Raktajino's coming up." she said, walking away.

"Raktajino?" Thel asked.

"No idea. Hope it's good." Johnson said.

The two soldiers conversed with each other about their situation, and were joined by Worf.

"So, how is it?" he asked, sitting down.

"So far, so good. I've studied a little of your species, Klingon. You have many similarities with the Sangheili." Thel said.

"The what?" Worf asked.

"My species. Humans call us Elites, because we are- were the backbone of the Covenant military. Now we are allied with the humans." Arbiter said, when the Dabo girl came back with two steaming drinks.

"Thanks." Johnson said, eyeing the girl.

"You're welcome. Would you be interested in playing Dabo?" the girl asked.

"I'm curious to see what it's about." Johnson said, leaving the table.

Meanwhile, Cortana and John were on the bridge of the station, with Cortana pouring over as much intel as she could.

"Chief, this is amazing! So many alien species and cultures. The history and knowledge is worth its weight in gold!" Cortana said, as she hovered over a console.

"Cortana, whatever info you can find about the station, send it to my HUD." John said.

"Chief, you need a hobby." Cortana said, as she uploaded all the info about the station to John's suit.

"Chief, quick question." Jadzia said, approaching the soldier.

"Sure thing." John said, facing her.

"You mind if i borrow Cortana? I'd like to run some experiments with her." Jadzia said.

That was the wrong thing to say, as Chief backed away his posture defensive. Cortana scanned his biosigns, and saw it before. It was the same biosigns when he was engaged in combat.

"What kind of experiments?" John asked.

"Look, it's nothing to worry about." Jadzia calmly said, flashing a smile at him. But that made John more suspicious of the young woman. It was as if she had some sinister goal, and was trying to disarm him. While her looks and charms would have worked on most men, chief was not most men.

"I'll ask one more time. What kind of experiments?" John asked, preparing several plans to fight his way out. Two involved killing everyone on the bridge. Jadzia only scoffed at the question.

"I don't have time for this." she said, and reached up to try and grab the chip from his helmet.

John reacted like a rattlesnake, quickly pinning Jadzia against the console with enough force to break the glass underneath.

"What experiments?!" John shouted.

"I'm just going to run some scans. It's perfectly harmless." Jadzia said, struggling against the augment. John looked at her, wondering if she was being truthful in her admissions. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he let go of her.

"Come get me the second you're done with Cortana." John said, handing the chip to Jadzia said. Jadzia wisely left the bridge, heading to another part of the station.

"You want to tell us why you almost killed our science officer?" Kira asked.

"It's a long story." John said.

"We have plenty of time." Kira said

"I'll tell you guys later. Cortana can help me with it." Chief said, heading to the elevator.

Kira watched as the Spartan then scaled the walls of the elevator shaft, ignoring the Cardassian power lines.

…

"Your friend needs to get laid." Jadzia said, as she plugged Cortana into a console.

"That's your first response to almost getting killed by the Chief?" Cortana asked.

"It could help his attitude." Jadzia said.

"Jadzia, you got off lucky. Chief could have ripped your head off your spine." Cortana said, watching the young scientist plug in some instruments.

"How were you created?" Jadzia asked, sitting down.

"Smart AI are created by scanning and replicating the neural pathways of the human brain. I was created in a different way. My creator, Dr Halsey, had her brain flash-cloned." Cortana said.

"That's intriguing. We don't have anything like that in the Federation. So, how did you and Chief meet?" Jadzia asked.

"I was paired with him during the end of the human-covenant war. For the past year, we've served many missions together, and we trust each other completely." Cortana said.

"Sounds like you two are thick as thieves. Were there any problems working together?" Jadzia asked.

"We sometimes have differing opinions on how to get a mission done. Chief just goes in guns blazing, though i also like to blow shit up too." Cortana said.

"Sounds like a match made in heaven." Jadzia absently said, as she began to scan Cortana.

"It is. I was offered multiple candidates, but I chose him. He was like the other Spartans; strong swift and brave. A natural leader. But he had luck on his side. No matter the odds, he always came out on top. And if a situation seemed impossible, he always figured a way to beat it. Despite his brutality in war, he can be so sweet and gentle. Not that he'll ever say it, but it's true." Cortana said.

Jadzia only grinned at the love stricken AI.

"Sounds like you have a crush on him. Does he have a crush on you?" she teased.

Cortana only grinned and turned pink.

"Yes, i do. But don't tell him. The past few days have been chaotic for both of us. We need some time to relax, but i doubt he'll ever take a day off." Cortana said.

"What happened?" Jadzia asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it. But i will say that he saved me from a gruesome fate. I owe him big time for that."

"I'm sure there's one thing he wants from you." Jadzia said.

"You're wrong, you little cunt. Believe me, i've done some fantasizing, but it's not possible. He's human, and i'm an AI. Do we have feelings for each other, yes. But i'm afraid that's as far as it'll go. Not unless i can be turned into a human." Cortana bitterly said.

_'Damn it, Cortana. Get a hold of yourself!'_

"Maybe not. But we have holodecks. We could get something set up." Jadzia said.

"You planning to set me and Chief up for a date?" Cortana laughed.

"That's a great idea!" Jadzia said.

"Me and my big mouth." Cortana groaned. She only wondered how John would handle this.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

Chief followed Kira to the promenade, seeing his two friends. In the meantime, he was going over the station schematics. He was impressed with its tactical capabilities, hundreds of torpedo launchers and dozens of phaser banks.

"Jadzia, the woman you almost killed, wants to see you." Kira said.

"What for? Is Cortana okay?" chief asked.

"I don't know." Kira said.

"Goddamn it." Chief growled under his breath.

"Chief, over here." Johnson said, raising his mug.

"Spartan." Arbiter said.

"Arbiter." Chief answered back.

"Gentlemen, we need to talk." Odo said, catching their attention. They looked at Odo, seeing his bajoran uniform.

"Carrying weapons on the promenade is forbidden. You'll have to hand them over." Odo said.

The three soldiers proceeded to put their weapons on the table, starting with their rifles then pistols and other weapons. Kira and Odo watched as a mountain of weapons and ammo grew. Rifles, knives, even hand grenades were put on the table.

"You guys have enough weapons to take on a small army." Kira said in awe, picking up a covenant carbine.

"This is standard UNSC/Covenant equipment. For specialized operations, there are sniper rifles, rocket launchers, large machineguns, etc." Johnson said.

"Not even Cardassians and Klingons are so armed." Kira said, putting the rifle away.

As Kira and Odo left the room, Chief was approached by Jadzia.

"Hey, Chief. Just so you know, Cortana is in good shape. In fact, i was thinking of running another experiment with you and her." Jadzia said.

"What kind?" John asked, resisting the urge to form fists.

"We have holodecks on the station. I'm thinking she'll get great use out of that." Jadzia said.

"Wait a second. Who's Cortana?" a voice asked.

Chief looked at the smaller alien, noting the bald head and large ears. He noticed the elaborate clothing he was wearing, and figured he was the owner of the bar. But why he was working behind the counter told the chief that he didn't have a lot of workers, or he just preferred to mingle with his customers.

"Who are you?" Arbiter asked.  
"Quark. I run this fine establishment. I see you have acquired a taste of the raktajino. Anything else you want to indulge in? Maybe i could interest you three in the dabo girls." he said.

"No thanks." Arbiter said.

"Your loss. Who's Cortana?" Quark asked.

"This is Cortana." Jadzia said, holding the data chip, showing the blue hologram.

"Wow. How much for her?" Quark asked, seeing the nude hologram.

"She's not for sale." John said, grabbing the chip and put it in his helmet.

"Any chance i could get one of my own?" Quark asked, watching as they headed to the holodecks.

"He seems quit the persistent merchant." Cortana said.

John said nothing as they entered the holodeck, seeing the empty room.

"How does this work?" Johnson asked.

"Computer, a Risian beach." Jadzia said, watching as a beach appeared out of thin air.

"Amazing! Even the covenant don't have this kind of technology! Chief, this could have major benefits!" Cortana said, as she took form in the holo-suit.

"Impressive. Computer, Sanghelios." Arbiter said.

"Unable to comply. Sanghelios is not in the database." the station's AI said.

"We're still going thru your intel, so it'll be sometime before we can incorporate it into the database." Jadzia said, noticing the solemn looks the three soldiers now wore.

"Anyway. What's this experiment?" John asked.

"I've decided to set you and Cortana on a date. I figure Risa is the perfect place." Jadzia said.

"There's a Covenant warship sitting next to the station. I can get on it and head to Risa itself." John said.

"You and Kira would get along just fine." Jadzia said.

"If we're staying here, i'd like to know who i'll be working with. You mind telling us about you?" Chief asked.

"Sure thing. One thing to know, is i'm a Trill." Jadzia said.

"What's that?" Thel asked.

"We're a humanoid species, native to the planet Trill. A small percentage can co-exist with an organism known as a symbiont. It's two species living in the same body." Jadzia said.

"How is that manageable?" Arbiter asked.

"It's not easy the first few months. You have many voices in your head, all competing for attention. The symbiont is passed from one host to another. No two symbionts are the same. Some are young, others, like mine, are old. I have 7 generations inside me." Jadzia said.

"Incredible. It's similar to the neural net that UNSC personal have, to an extent. Though it's exact equivalent would be an AI paired with a Spartan. Two minds in one body." Cortana said.

"How is that possible?" Jadzia now asked.

"Same thing to your Trill symbiont. Except it's an AI working with a human brain. The experience is quite… more intimate than one would expect." Cortana said.

Jadzia spent the next few hours conversing with them, going over the history of the Federation, comparing it with the UNSC. She attempted to breach the human-covenant war, but found her guests were loath to talk about it. She remembered how the Chief reacted when she grabbed Cortana, and she could only imagine his reaction if she forced him to bring up the war.

Her guests were interested in how all the different species managed to live with each other, without killing each other. Thel remembered the Covenant, the closest analogue to the Federation. Except the covenant was held together by force, thanks to the Sangheili and their martial prowess. Once the Elites broke away, the Covenant fell apart quicker than he thought possible.

_'If only we aligned with the humans from the beginning. Things could have turned out so much different.'_

"So Humans are the glue that holds the Federation together." Thel said.

"It's more complicated than that. There's no one species that is holding it together." Jadzia said.

"I read your early history. Humanity made an alliance between the Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellerites. If not for them, this Federation may not exist." Thel said.

"That's true. What else have you learned?" Jadzia asked.

"I stopped reading during the cold war between the Federation and the Klingons. Quite an impressive species. Reminds me of my own." Thel said.

"Let me fill in the blanks. After the 'cold war' ended, the Federation entered the golden age. We were free to explore the galaxy at will, with no-one and nothing to interfere. But recently, things have been looking grim." Jadzia said.

"What happened?" Chief asked.

"We've encountered, the Cardassians, Romulans, and other hostile species. And right now, we've encountered the Dominion." Jadzia said.

While they were talking, Cortana kept herself busy by delving into databases, finding out more information about their AI. She stumbled upon an android that called itself Data. No such thing existed in the UNSC or Covenant. She quickly realized how advanced the Federation was in AI tech.

Meanwhile, Kira and Odo were talking about the cache of guns they were given.

"Projectile weapons, grenades, even what appears to be a precision rifle. Those men have seen some intense combat that would make even a Klingon sweat in fear. It's a good thing first contact was friendly." Odo said.

"With these weapons, we could have sent the Cardassians running. And this was what they brought on hand. I can only imagine what's on the ship. Maybe we should investigate." Kira said.

"We'll have to get their permission. They have these weapons, and they're armored head to toe. Our security personal wouldn't stand a chance against even one of them, let alone all three." Odo said.

"Sounds like you're expecting trouble." Kira said.

"I heard what this Chief did to Jadzia. Frankly, we need more information about them. All we know is that they finished some war." Odo said.

"Correct. I'll see if Sisko and the rest of the senior staff is available tomorrow." Kira said.

"In the meantime, I'd like to keep an eye on them for the time being. Especially the chief. Why is he so concerned about this AI?" Odo mused.

…

Night came, and Chief entered his guest quarters. He was about to remove his helmet, but decided against it. The station was on the front lines, and John decided to be ready in case a fight broke out. Cortana was about to pull away from his mind, but John objected.

"Cortana, stay." he said, surprising her. It felt very intimate to her.

As Chief slept, Cortana tapped into the suit's systems and listened to his heartbeat. This action was as intimate as she could get with the chief.

_'Wait a minute. Their holograms are more advanced than the UNSC. It shouldn't be too hard to incorporate their tech into my matrix. I could actually hold and touch John to my heart's content. If i had a heart. Could we be intimate? Have intercourse? Do things couples do? God, i sound silly.'_

Cortana tapped into DS9's security cameras, observing the inhabitants during the night. She noticed several that were either married or cohabiting with each other, often cuddled with each other during the current hours. She envied them, yet also realized that the AI technology within her grasp could change all that.

"I love you, John." Cortana whispered.

Morning came, and John grabbed a data padd, going over more information about the Federation. Thel already brought him up to speed up to the Klingon-Federation cold war, and John continued where he left off.

"Chernobyl in space." he said, reading about Praxis and how it crippled the empire's war machine. And just like Jazia said, the Federation spent the next 100 years exploring the galaxy with no troubles. What was most worrying to him was that they let their martial capabilities atrophy.

"They don't even wear armor." he said, knowing that both the UNSC and Covenant infantry always wore armor to protect themselves in combat. This Federation wouldn't stand a chance. They didn't even have an army to speak of.

"So chief, you going to eat?" Cortana asked.

"In a minute." John absently said.

"Chief, when was the last time you ate?" she asked.

"Just before we left earth to go after Truth."

"That's what i thought you'd said. It's been at least 48 hours since you last ate. Spartan or not, you need sustenance. Besides, it's time for lunch." she said.

Chief headed to the replimat, ordering a mixture of pasta, fruit, and vegetables. As he ate, major Kira sat next to him.

"How's it going, Chief?" she asked.

"Doing good. This isn't dissimilar to a UNSC station." Chief said, as he shoved some pancakes in his mouth.

"That reminds me. Captain Sisko wants you, Ariber, and Johnson to brief the senior staff on where the hell you guys have came from. The stack of weapons you guys brought is intriguing to say the least." Kira said.

"Will be there. And i hope you have a strong stomach." John said.

"What for?" Kira asked.

"Wait and see." John said, parodying the old WW2 Soviet movie about the Belorussian partisans.

"So tell me about yourself, Chief. I've never seen such armor like that." Kira said.

"Well, i'm a Spartan-2 supersoldier. The suit augments my capabilities, making me more deadlier. I won't give more information to anyone in this universe. It's highly classified. But i can say that i've been fighting enemies for a long time." Chief said.

"How long?" Kira asked.

"Try a 27 year long intergalactic war." John said, watching as Kira choked on her food.

"27?! I've only fought the Cardassians for 18 years. I started when i was 12. How old were you?" she asked.

"15. Old enough to slaughter genocidal aliens, fly shuttles and UNSC warships, but not old enough to get a driver's license. How ironic." chief chuckled.

"Is that laughter, Chief?" Cortana asked, appearing on the table.

"Hey, I like her." John said, a slight grin on his face.

"27 years." Kira said, digesting the info, along with the fact that his war spanned entire star systems. It made the Cardassian occupation look like a lovers quarrel.

"Interesting thing to note, is that Jadzia said we'd get along just fine." John said.

"What makes her say that?" Kira asked.

"Yesterday we were in the holosuite, and she wanted to set me and Cortana up for a date by creating a fake beach from Risa. i told her i could head to the planet itself if i wanted to." John said.

"Right on that. Anything you can do in the holodeck, you can do in real life." Kira said.

"True. But there's one thing that the holosuite can be useful for. Combat training." John said.

John put his helmet on and headed to a window, motioning for Kira to follow him. The two looked outside the window, seeing the massive covenant warship.

"If we had that warship, we could have pushed Cardassia back to their homeworld." Kira said, awe in her voice.

"Yeah. And glass the planet in the process." Chief said, scanning the space ahead of him.

"Glass?" Kira asked.

"Bomb the planet with super-heated plasma until there's nothing left. Nothing but a glassy looking surface. Chief here had seen it before many times." Cortana said.

"By the prophets." Kira said, stunned that such a species would be so ruthless. Not even the Cardassians were capable of that. Probably because they needed the resources that Bajor had.

"You said that the Dominion and their leaders are a threat." Cortana said.

"Correct." Kira said.

"And they're right on the opposite side of the wormhole." Cortana added.

"Yes." Kira said.

"Then why isn't there a fleet of warships defending this sector of space from an attack, if they choose to attack?" John asked.

"Excuse me?" Kira asked.

"Even before the Covenant war, the UNSC had up to 100 ships defending Earth and Reach, two of our most important planets. If there's an enemy who wishes to do battle with your Federation, why isn't the Federation taking steps to prepare?" John scathingly asked.

Before Kira could answer, she was ordered to bring the Chief to the briefing room.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

John entered the briefing room, seeing his friends and the senior staff.

"Chief, Sisko here wants us to tell him about the human-covenant war." Johnson said.

"What do you want to know, Captain?" Chief asked.

"Everything. Just start from the beginning." Sisko said.

"In that case, i'll speak up. I was a member of the Covenant empire for most of my life. It was like your Federation, multiple species working together. But unlike your Federation, joining the Covenant wasn't voluntary." Thel said, when Kira snickered.

"Something funny?" Thel growled.

"Sorry. It's just that when you said joining the Federation was voluntary. I find that fucking funny as hell." Kira said, motioning for Thel to continue.

"Anyway, one didn't join the Covenant. As you humans like to say, you were shanghaied into the Covenant. If you attempted to resist, you were destroyed. The Covenant encountered humanity 27 years ago. First contact was disastrous." Arbiter said, lowering his head in shame.

"What happened?" Dax asked.

"Our leaders were searching the galaxy for an ancient species, known as the Forerunners. They believed they ascended to godhood. And they wanted the same thing. First contact was made at the human planet called Harvest. Our leaders initially thought the Humans were the Forerunners they were looking for. But they weren't. The prophets Truth, Mercy, and Regret said that humanity was an affront to the Covenant and its theological teachings. The prophets gave the order for the human holocaust to begin." Thel said.

"A grave dishonor. Why didn't these prophets meet with the humans to confirm their suspicions?" Worf asked, clearly reminded of the Klingon invasion of Cardassia.

"Because if the truth were known, than the entire Covenant would fall apart. And the prophets couldn't let that happen. So they declared war." Thel said.

"27 years of hard war came right after. We hit the Covenant where it hurt many times, but it wasn't enough. They had more soldiers, more ships. And they had superior technology." Johnson said.

"If they had such power, how did you guys win?" Kira asked.

Cortana then spoke. She told them about Halo, the flood, the battle of earth and the final conflicts at the ark. Everyone, sans Kira, was shocked at the brutality of the war. For one state to try and destroy another was unheard of.

"Cortana, show them some footage of the war." John said.

"Which part?"

"Surprise them."

"Of course, dear." Cortana said, her voice smooth as silk.

"Is your construct flirting with you, spartan?" Arbiter asked.

"She's fine." John said.

Everyone looked at one of the viewscreens showing static. Instead of a dramatic buildup, Cortana instead dropped them right in the middle of a battle, as the footage showed the Spartan firing his rifle at an alien that looked just like the Arbiter. The beasts pulled out a blade that seemed to glow a mixture of electricity and plasma.

It charged the Spartan, roaring as it came closer, only to fall to a hail of gunfire.

"What was that?" O'brien asked.

"Elite with an energy sword." Johnson said, watching as the footage now switched to another perspective. It was another human soldier firing her rifle at the grunts as they ran around in fright. Only for an energy dagger to pierce thru her chest, killing her.

"Jesus." Sisko said, seeing the bloodshed.

Cortana spared no expenses. She wanted the DS9 gang to understand what kind of hell they went thru. She showed them footage of a covenant warship glassing a human world, seeing the surface boil away. Next, was a UNSC destroyer firing its MAC guns on a planet.

"Covenant world?" Odo asked.

"Human. During the war, we came up with creative and highly destructive ways of taking out entire covenant armies. We would have warships fire their MACs onto the surface. Said target never survived such a strike. Another tactic we applied, rather liberally, was detonating nuclear bombs on our own soil." Johnson said, as Cortana showed them a nuke going off.

"Why would you do that?" Dax asked.

"Survival. We'd let them build up an army on the ground, then detonate the nuke. Why shed blood taking out an enemy force, when you can kill them all with the simple press of a button? And shed no blood on your own side." Chief pointed out.

"Makes sense. I've noticed different aliens from the footage. You mind telling us about them?" Kira asked.

"Sure thing. First, is the grunts. They're the small guys who waddle. As numerous as roaches, and just as easy to kill." Johnson said.

"They don't look so tough." Worf said.

"Individually, they're not. But in groups they can be a threat." Thel added.

"We learned early on, you kill the squad leader or a bigger threat, and they freak." Johnson said.

After showing the jackals and elites, next was the brutes.

"What i'm going to show next is graphic." Cortana said.

"As if the footage wasn't graphic enough." Dax said.

"Go to hell." Cortana growled, glowing red. In her anger, she showed them footage of a brute eating a human alive.

"Oh my god!" Dax exclaimed, covering her mouth.

"Brutes is an apt name. They take pleasure in toying and eating their prey. I've never met a more sadistic species in my life." Thel said.

"The brutality wasn't just on the Covenant side. Even the chief had moments like this." Cortana said, showing another footage from his point of view.

John saw the brute and fired a shot to get his attention. The brute snapped his prey's neck and charged the chief, only to have its leg blown off. John walked to the downed alien and primed a white phosphorus grenade. Opening the alien's mouth, he activated the grenade and shoved it deep in the monster's throat. The brute writhed and screamed in agony and the phosphorus burned him from the inside out.

"Look at this. Jackal's got gold in his mouth." a marine said, pulling out his combat knife and proceeded to cut the tooth out. "We're rich, boys." he said, waving the tooth around.

"Snafu, you need some help." another marine said.

"Sledgehammer, i probably won't survive the war so therapy's out of the question." the gold-hunter said.

John headed across the field, seeing another soldier removing power armor from a dead brute.

"Marine, what are you doing?" John asked.

"Payback." he said, removing the codpiece. The marine then pulled out the alien's genitals and pulled out his knife. With one move, he then castrated the alien corpse. Giving the Chief a sardonic grin he walked away, holding the severed organs in his hand.

Cortana then cut the footage, seeing the shocked looks everyone else had.

"Excuse me." Kira said, running out of the room. The sound of her vomiting was soon heard.

"You want to see any more footage, or not?" Cortana asked.

"One last thing. You guys earlier mentioned the flood. You have any footage on that?" Bashir asked.

"I was afraid you'd ask that." Cortana said.

The footage was from chief's encounters with the flood, from the first halo ring, to the end of the war. Right now, they were looking at chief's actions on earth.

"My god. Earth." Bashir said, seeing the aliens attack the human and elite soldiers.

One poor bastard was unlucky to have a flood infection form attach itself to the marines neck. Everyone watching the screen had the lovely view of seeing the human being transformed into a flood combat form.

"Just like the borg." Odo said, wondering if his species could be infected by this flood.

"Is there a cure to this flood?" Bashir asked.

"None." Thel replied.

Cortana cut the footage, not wanting to see the flood again.

"As you can see Captain, we've been thru a lot." Thel said.

"Agreed." Sisko said. He soon realized that the UNSC humans were nothing alike compared to the fellow humans that were in the federation. The UNSC had more in common with the Klingons and Cardassians. Check that. They were more hardened than the Klingons and Cardassians could hope to match.

"I can't imagine humanity succumbing to such brutality. We're supposed to be enlightened." Bashir said.

Johnson and Thel looked like they wanted to rip the doctor's head off and shit down his neck.

"You're 'enlightened' because your society says so. If you were involved in a genocidal war like the Covenant, you'd be brutal like us." Johnson said.

"Killing a man will harden you. Fighting a war against genocide will harden a species. Shaakar told me that when i first joined his resistance cell." Kira said.

"It seems your Bajoran knows everything about war. You should listen to her." Thel said, standing up.

The trio left the briefing room, leaving the Fed officers stunned.

"Kira, i want you to act as a liaison between us and the UNSC/Covenant. It seems they're more friendly to you." Sisko said.

"Maybe it has to do with the fact that unlike the Federation, i'm willing to get my hands dirty." Kira retorted, standing up and staring down Sisko.

"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. Seeing all that footage reminded me of the Cardassian occupation." she said, sitting down.

"That's why you should be the liaison." Sisko calmly said.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

"Cortana, you okay?" John asked.

"I'm fine. It's just… it's been a couple of days since you rescued me from the gravemind. And seeing that flood footage… if i were human, i'd probably vomit right now." Cortana said.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. The flood is gone, and i won't let anyone hurt you again." John said.

"Especially Jadzia? You were about to kill her on the bridge." Cortana said.

"If i even suspect she'd do you harm, i'll kill her the second i see her, regardless of witnesses." John firmly said.

"Well, thanks John. For everything." Cortana softly said.

Meanwhile, Worf in the holosuite practicing his bat'leth skills when Thel walked in.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Bat'leth. It's a Klingon sword. These swords were made thousands of years ago, carried by the strongest warriors Qo'nos had to offer. They even slewed our ancient gods. They were more trouble than they were worth." Worf answered.

While Thel considered the last part mere hyperbole, he admired that the Klingons kept their traditions alive. Yes, they were much like the Sangheili.

"A duel. Computer, energy Bat'leth." Thel said, and worf watched as the metal blade was replaced with glowing plasma.

"Impressive." Worf said, as Thel activated his energy blade.

"Defend yourself." Thel said, lifting his blade above his head and brought it down on Worf's own blade. Worf was perplexed at the situation he was in. Sure he had fought many enemies during his career in starfleet, but he couldn't remember having a harder fight than he was having with the Arbiter, even if it was in a holosuite.

Worf knocked the Elite's blade aside and charged him, only for Thel to grapple with him and toss him aside. But Worf was anything if not determined. Standing up, he grabbed his energy blade and charged again.

"You must have Sangheili blood inside you." Thel said, as they parried blows with Worf on the offensive.

"Then the blood of Khaless must also be in you." Worf said, as he charged forward, knocking the bigger alien on his back.

"Good sparing with you." Worf said, helping Thel stand up.

"You to. Are there more Klingons serving in Starfleet?" Arbiter asked.

"No. I'm the only one. It is a long story. And by the look on your eyes, you have a long story of yourself." Worf said, surprising the Sangheili with his perceptiveness.

"It is a long story. Perhaps we can tell our stories to each other over a meal." Thel said.

The two warriors were sitting at a table, eating steaks.

"I served the Covenant military for my entire adult life. I saw many battles, killed many enemies." Thel said.

"It sounds glorious." Worf said.

"It was. Until i found out what i was fighting for was wrong. The Covenant leaders were leading everyone to their deaths. Not just the humans we were fighting, but also the Sangheili and other Covenant races." Thel said.

"Yes. Cortana told us about the Halo arrays. I still can't believe it. Superweapons to kill an enemy like the flood." Worf said, drinking his prune juice.

"I was one of the leading admirals of the empire, having crushed the human fortress world of Reach. A hard fought battle. The humans i fought were tough, proud. They threw everything to defend their planet. It wasn't enough, but if they had time, things would have turned out different. It was an honor to fight with and against such warriors." Thel said.

"You're right about humans being warriors. The Klingon empire expanded in all directions. Our progress was stopped when we encountered humanity." Worf said.

"That may have been in the past. But right now, the humans of this universe are soft and weak. If this were a UNSC base, there would be dozens of warships defending this sector. If it were a Covenant or Sangheili base, there would be hundreds. Right now, this Federation doesn't have a single warship here, despite being the most vulnerable and important part of their territory. Your Federation is a declawed, defanged, castrated paper tiger." Thel said.

"The Defiant is here. The Federation's first purpose built warship." Worf said.

"Tell me. How long has the Federation existed?" Thel asked.

"Just over 200 years." Worf said.

"And in that amount of time, this Federation has only built one warship? May the gods help your Federation if war breaks out." Thel said.

"Lets save this conversation for another time. What happened after Reach?" Worf asked.

"I chased the humans to a Halo ring. We did battle, and the humans destroyed the ring. I was charged with heresy and stripped of my rank, and my honor. I was forced to become the Arbiter." Thel said, motioning to his armor.

"Arbiter?" Worf asked.

"It's a rank. During the Covenant, the Arbiter was a rank of shame. The Arbiter would be sent on suicide missions in times of great turmoil that threatened to tear the Covenant apart. I was sent after partisans and Sangheili rebels who considered the great journey to be a lie. I was then sent to fight on a second Halo ring, where i encountered the Spartan face to face. To make a long story short, i soon found out that the rebels i was sent to kill, they were right. The prophets were leading us to the slaughter. So the Sangheili broke away from the Covenant and aligned with the humans. It wasn't easy." Thel said.

"I can only imagine. Both species were at war the entire time. It takes great courage to fight alongside your former enemy against an even more devastating foe. I've also had my honor stripped by my government." Worf said.

"What happened?" Thel asked.

"The Klingon empire invaded Cardassia, which they are still doing. They invaded because they believed that the Cardassian change in government was the result of the Dominion infiltration." Worf said.

"If this Dominion was responsible, then how could the invasion of Cardassia be wrong?" Thel asked.

"Because there is no proof that the Dominion is responsible. The people just rose up and wanted a new leadership. Nothing wrong with that. The Klingon leadership thought otherwise, and launched their invasion force. Now, many brave Klingons are dying because our true enemy is playing us like fools." Worf said, shoving more food down his throat before he continued.

"Chancellor Gowron, the head of the empire himself, came down to recruit me for the war effort. But i knew that invading Cardassia with no just cause is wrong. I couldn't be a part of that, so i refused his offer. My family in the empire has suffered greatly." Worf finished.

It was ironic. Both warriors had been stripped of their honor by their respective governments, and were now forced to fight alongside humans to stop a much greater evil, and to regain their honor.

"Arbiter, you're needed on transporter pad number 3." Dax said, approaching him.

Chief met with Jadzia and O'brien on the transporter pad, waiting for Arbiter.

"So, you guys want to look at the carrier and it's tech?" Cortana asked.

"Yes. If there are any repairs needed, i'll have my people get started." O'brien said.

"You have your work cut out for you. I saw the ship take heavy damage in the last battle of the war. It could take weeks if not months to fix her." John said.

"That's nice to know." O'brien muttered.

Arbiter came on the pad, standing next to everyone else. They were teleported from the station, onto the warship above.

"What was that?" Arbiter asked.

"Transporter. You guys have it?" Jadzia asked.

"Nope. Not the Sangheili, nor the humans." Chief said.

"My god. This ship is huge!" O'brien said, looking at the large hallway.

"Follow me. I'll take you to the bridge." Thel said.

Even though they were allies, John still had his rifle held up. The times he'd spent upon Covenant warships was time spent killing the owners of said ships.

"Anything, Spartan?" Thel asked.

"Nothing. But the sooner we head to the bridge, the better." Chief said.

Upon entering the bridge, Cortana powered up the warship seeing the lights and systems activated.

"Chief, it's a miracle the ship is in one piece. I'm seeing structural damage across the board. The slipspace drive is still active, but it won't last forever." Cortana said.

"How long can the drive work?" Thel asked.

"Months. Maybe a year if you don't use the drive a lot. Weapons are offline, but the shields are working. Barely." she deadpanned.

"Transfer power from the shields to the weapons. Ship's a sitting duck if we can't fight back. The armor is extremely thick and durable. It'll buy us time." Chief said.

"How thick is this armor?" O'brien asked.

"40 meters of nanolaminate. Let me guess. None of your ships has armor as thick as this one." Thel snarked.

"Nope. Not even the galaxy and defiant class have that amount of armor." O'brien said.

"What about the UNSC?" Jadzia asked, as she looked at a console.

"Ships have Titanium-A armor, ranging from 60-191 cm. What about the Federation?" Cortana asked.

"The galaxy class has 2 cm of armor. Federation ships no longer have armor. We rely on shielding." O'brien said.

"Covenant ships also have shields, but we do keep the armor. You never know when that'll come in handy." Thel said.

"Okay. We all know that the UNSC/Covenant have better weapons tech than the Federation. No need to shove it down their throat." Cortana joked.

"Better weapons tech? The Chief is using a machine-gun. And the footage showed some sort of coil/railgun. We quit using slugthrowers centuries ago." Jadzia said.

"Enough! If you guys want to compare weapons tech, do that later. Right now, we're here to examine this ship. Now get to work on bringing the guns online." Cortana said.

Jadzia worked with Cortana and Thel on bringing the weapons online. Jadzia clearly remembered seeing the combat footage, seeing the plasma melt thru the UNSC ships, and turn the planets crust into glass. But she was very interested in this slipspace drive the ship had.

"We can have O'brien and his team work on the drive. We could buy it more time." Jadzia said.

"No-one, except me and the Spartan are allowed anywhere near the drive. Slipspace drives are not meant to be worked on while active. I've heard and seen personal disappear while they were working on it." Thel said.

Thankfully, the starfleet officers decided to obey the Arbiter. What did catch their eyes, was what was inside the massive hanger bays.

"Arbiter, Spartan! I've found something!" O'brien shouted, seeing the vast arsenal of weapons and war-machines in the hanger.

"This is all that survived the Ark?" Chief asked.

"It is." Thel said.

"4 battle tanks, 50 wraiths, 7 warthogs, 3 mongosses, 200 Ghosts, and 97 Revenants. And that's ground vehicles only." Cortana said.

"That's a lot. 361 ground vehicles." O'brien said.

"That's nothing. A fully loaded assault carrier can carry up to a thousand ground vehicles. Construct, how many air and space vehicles are in the hanger?" Thel said.

"We have 500 air/space banshee light fighters, 300 Seraphs, 201 Phantoms and 4 Pelican drop ships. We also have 40 of the new Falken air/space superiority fighters and 19 of the older Morgan fighters." Cortana said.

"That's still a lot. Can't believe we got lucky with so few casualties. Truth's fleet outnumbered us three to one. I knew the Brutes didn't have the discipline of humans and sangheili, but damn!" Thel exclaimed, not believing his fortune.

"We should run tests on them." Jadzia said, when Thel and Chief headed to the line of fighters.

"What are you doing?" Jadzia asked.

"Running tests." Chief said, approaching the Morgan, while Thel entered one of the Seraphs. The two spacecraft left the hanger bay, and everyone else headed to the bridge.

"If this UNSC and Covenant are as powerful as they claim, why would their space-force use fighters?" Jadzia asked.

"Why doesn't your navy have warships in large numbers to defend your territory?" Cortana retorted.

In space, Chief looked at the cockpit of his fighter, seeing the instruments that were clearly modeled off of 21st century earth fighters.

"Lets see what this Morgan can do." he said, pulling several maneuvers and pushed the airframe to its limit. He flew in formation with the Arbiter, and the two engaged in a duel.

"Both ships have shields, so here's the rules. The pilot who loses their shields first, loses the round." Thel said.

"You're on." John replied.

Both fighters engaged with each other, plasma and cannon shells streaking across the stars.

"What is going on out there?" Sisko asked.

"It looks like a duel between the two fighters. But they're holding their punches. Like it's a game between both pilots." Kira said.

The duel soon ended with a draw and both pilots headed to the carrier.

"Good flying, chief. Lets see how they handle the atmosphere." Thel said, heading to bajor.

John followed the alien to the atmosphere of Bajor, both fighters screaming across the sky.

"It's been some time since i've been able to fly in peace and quiet." Thel said.

"This is the only time i've been able to fly in peace and quiet." John said, inverting his plane and looked down upon Bajor.

"What do you see?" Thel asked.

"Nothing. It's just… nothing." John said.

Cortana was monitoring communications and John's bio-signs. Her heart broke as John couldn't, or most likely refused, to explain his feelings. Like the other Spartans, he had a tendency to bottle up his thoughts and emotions. But she knew it would all come out sooner or later.

Wanting to know herself, she hacked into his helmet and saw what John was seeing. The clouds went past her eyes as the Morgan was flying at Mach 2 with no sign of stopping. Looking down, or up, since the plane was inverted, she saw the landscape of Bajor, seeing how green and lush it was. It was quite different to the numerous human colonies that were obliterated by the Covenant during the war.

"Hell of a culture shock. Can only wonder how the chief will handle it." she mused.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6

Kira was in the holodeck, waiting for Chief and Johnson. They told her they wanted to do a weapons test, comparing the UNSC/Covenant weapons against those of the alpha quadrant, mainly the Federation, Klingon, and Cardassian.

"If their ships are purpose built for war, i can only imagine what their hand-held weapons are like." she said.

The two guests came in, each carrying two large well stuffed duffel bags.

"Computer, lots of mud." Johnson said.

"Mud? Why would- oh." Kira said, realizing they were doing a mud test.

"First, MA5C assault rifle. Standard for the UNSC." Chief said, pulling the rifle out of the bag. He fired a few rounds and dropped it in the mud. After covering the rifle in a coat of mud, he let it sit for a few minutes.

"Chief, you think that's enough?" Kira asked.

"Probably is." John said, yanking the rifle out of the mud. He flipped the safety off and racked the bolt. Squeezing the trigger, he fired the remainder of the magazine until the rifle clicked on empty.

"Impressive. You know, the Cardassian rifle can be dragged across the mud and dirt and still fire without being cleaned." Kira said, as she produced a Cardassian rifle.

"You just described the AK rifle. It's an old earth rifle, produced in the Soviet Union during the mid 20th century. Some partisan and insurrectionists still use the weapon, though it's been modernized to current standards." Johnson said.

"This Union obviously knew weapons." Kira said.

"For the most part. There was a war on earth, called the Vietnam war. North Vietnam and its allies were equipped with these AK rifles. South Vietnam and its allies were equipped with its 'rival', the M-16. the M-16 was more modern, more accurate. But it suffered during the war. It jammed rather easy, because the rifle was firing the wrong type of ammunition. There are some stories of troopers swapping their M-16s with AKs because in their words 'it works.' About 10 years after the war ends, one of the soldiers returns to the country on a tour. He reaches into the mud and pulls out an AK rifle that was buried for several years. The soldier racks the bolt and fires the entire clip with no mechanical issues. He reportedly says 'this is how an infantry weapon is supposed to work.'" Cortana said.

"The M-16 reminds me of something." Kira said, as she grabbed a standard Federation phaser rifle. Following the chief's example, she fired a few rounds and then dropped it into the mud. After a few minutes, she picked it up and pulled the trigger. It fired a shot, then shortened out.

"Typical. They burden their rifles with so much fancy tech, it fails when it's supposed to count." Kira said, tossing the useless piece of metal aside.

"Now we test the Covenant weapons." Chief said, grabbing a plasma rifle out of his bag. Repeating the mud test, he grabbed the rifle from the mud and fired. The heat from the plasma melted the mud and it dripped onto the floor.

"Let me see that." Kira said, grabbing the plasma rifle. Finding it heavy to hold with one hand, she was forced to hold it with both hands. Pulling the trigger, watched the plasma burn and melt the target until there was nothing left. Kira looked at the weapon in awe, and fired it on full auto.

"Not as accurate as the weapons i've fired. But a hell of a lot more destructive." Kira said, handing the rifle back to John.

"What about the handguns the officers have?" Johnson asked, and was handed one by Kira.

Johnson looked at the weapon with an incredulous look.

"There's no sights on this. You'll be dead before you can get a bead on your enemy." he said.

"I've noticed that while i was practicing with their weapons during a range. That's why i always keep a Bajoran pistol with me." Kira said, pointing to the weapon in the holster.

Tossing the Federation pistol aside, John grabbed a Klingon disruptor and a Cardassian disruptor and performed the same mud tests he already did with his rifle. Upon pulling the pistols out of the mud, he fired until he was satisfied.

"The Klingon weapons look crude and simple, but they're far more reliable than their Federation counterparts. It's like the Federation is trying to avoid preparing for war." John said, as he pulled out a UNSC sniper rifle.

"What is that?!" Kira exclaimed, seeing the massive weapon.

"Standard sniper rifle for the UNSC. Fires rounds like this one." John said. He grabbed the magazine and pulled a spare bullet out, tossing it to Kira. She looked at the long object, seeing its pointed edge.

"What would you kill with this?" She asked.

"You saw the footage with the brutes and elites. There's also another species that we didn't cover. We call them hunters. They're around 10 feet tall, and have thick armor and powerful plasma cannons. Weapons like this are one of the few ways to take one down." Chief said.

"You come from a scary universe, Chief." Kira said.

"That we do." John said.

…

With the weapons test over, John was heading to see Odo when Jadzia approached.

"Chief, you're needed in ops. Sisko wants to talk to you." she said.

"Lead the way." the soldier replied.

Upon entering ops, Sisko flagged him down and headed inside his office with the senior staff following.

"We've recently discovered a distress call from the other side of the wormhole. It's Bajoran." Sisko said.

"How old is this distress call?" Thel asked.

"Only a few days old." Sisko answered.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Kira asked.

"It could be a trap set by this Dominion." John warned.

"Correct. But Starfleet wants us to investigate. If there are survivors, we take them and head home. If not, we head home. Lets not try and overstay our welcome." Sisko said.

"I've been reading up on this Dominion. What's the Jem'Hadar?" Johnson asked.

"Genetically enhanced soldiers that make up the Dominion armed forces. They fight in space and the ground." Kira said, pulling up a photo of a Jem'Hadar soldier.

"Genetically enhanced?" Thel asked, he knew what the Spartans were capable off from seeing and experiencing the fighting himself. He could only imagine how lethal the Jem'Hadar could be.

"Looks like a cross between a human and a dinosaur. Captain, do you know how many Dominion ships are in the area?" Johnson asked.

"We have limited information. All our recon bases in the gamma quadrant are going dark." Sisko said.

"Sounds like an invasion heading towards us. And there is still no Federation fleet to defend this highly vulnerable sector." Thel said.

"Starfleet wants the station to be defended, so the Defiant will have to stay behind." Sisko said.

"Just one ship? Starfleet is going to get a rude awakening if the Dominion attacks in full force. If you guys had encountered the Covenant…" Cortana trailed off.

"If they'd encountered the Covenant, around ⅕ of their worlds would be turned to glass already. If you guys are this lethargic when responding to these Dominion probings, i can only imagine the panic that would take a hold of your leaders when faced with a full scale blitzkrieg." Thel smirked.

"Enough. We'll talk about this another time. Right now, we need to get moving. Since we can't take the Defiant, we'll have to take a runabout." Sisko said.

"Against Dominion ships, i don't think you'll survive. That leaves the carrier. It's about time i get to see what my ship capable of against this Dominion." Thel said.

"Is your ship ready?" Dax asked.

"We're still having trouble keeping both shields and weapons online. For this mission, we'll keep our guns hot. I can only hope the armor is enough." Thel said.

"It'll have to do. How soon can you have your ship ready?" Sisko asked.

"In 5 hours." Thel said.

"Than we leave in 5 hours." Sisko said, standing up.

Thel, Jadzia, and Cortana were hard at work getting the ship ready for travel while Chief, Johnson and Kira were getting the arsenal of weapons ready.

"The second we jump in, we'll deploy to the ground via drop-pods. Hopefully the Dominion won't be able to pick us up." Johnson said.

"Drop pods?" Kira asked.

"Orbital insertion pods. Fits only one occupant. Very effective for deploying in a combat zone. But also dangerous if the chute doesn't deploy." John said.

"How dangerous?" Kira asked.

"ODST's call it digging your own grave." John replied.

"Yeah. I'll take the transporter." Kira said.

"Ship doesn't have one." Johnson said.

"Then i'll take one of your shuttles." Kira replied.

"Shuttles are slow and easy targets for their anti-air weaponry, such as fighter craft or anti-air guns. Drop pods are better in every way possible." Johnson said.

"Shit. You honestly think the Dominion will fortify the planet?" Kira asked.

"I'd be surprised if they didn't have defenses set up already." Chief said, examining a needle rifle.

"At least you're expecting trouble. That's good." Kira said, as she grabbed what Johnson called a shotgun.

Everyone was in Quarks, trying to enjoy the calm before the storm. Quark noticed the stoic looks the three stooges had as they ate some food.

"So, what can i get you?" Quark asked.

"Chocolate milk for me and the chief." Johnson said.

"I'll have some of your synthehol." Thel said.

"Sure thing. What's with the long faces?" Quark asked.

"We just got done with one war. Now we're going into another one." Johnson said, as he drank his milk.

"Oh." Quark said; he knew full well what humans were capable of in the right circumstances.

"Oh come on. It can't be that bad." Jadzia said.

"You think it's going to be a turkey shoot?" Thel asked.

"We've had some contact with the Dominion. We can handle them." Jadzia said.

"I get the feeling it'll be a lot harder than you think." John said.

"Chief, you're a stick in the mud you know that?" Jadzia asked.

"I'm still alive. There are billions of humans who can't say that." John said, staring at Jadzia. She turned away from his thousand yard stare, clearly uncomfortable.

"You Federation types are all the same." Quark snarked.

"What are you talking about?" Sisko asked, approaching to gather his crew.

"You people are a warm, friendly species." Quark started.

"Is Quark saying a compliment?" Jadzia asked.

"That's a first." Sisko agreed.

"As long as your bellies are full and your holosuites are working. But take away your creature comforts, deprive you of food, sleep, sonic showers, put your lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and you'll become as nasty and as violent as the most blood thirsty Klingon. You don't believe me, look into their eyes. Look at their faces." Quark said.

"I'd never seen Quark like that before." Sisko said to Dax as they left the bar.

"Like what?" Dax asked.

"Scared. He was genuinely afraid." Sisko said.

"Of our guests?" Dax asked.

Sisko nodded in return.

With the engines active, the Shadow of Intent left the station and bore down onto the wormhole. Arbiter was forced to let Cortana run the entire ship, as he was weary of the wormhole, though he would never say it. Upon leaving the wormhole, Thel ordered the slipspace drive active and they raced towards the Bajoran colony.

"We're approaching the planet. No Dominion ships in the area." Cortana said.

"That's a relief." Jadzia said.

"That's a problem. Either they completed their mission and left, or they left a garrison behind and they'll be back to resupply it." Kira said.

"I agree. Thel, once we drop hide the ship. If the Dominion come back in force, you run back to DS9 and come back with reinforcements. If the Federation has any reinforcements to begin with." John said.

John looked at the people coming with him on the mission: Johnson, Kira, Jadzia, Worf, and several starfleet red shirts.

"What's with the pajamas?" Johnson asked.

"Excuse me?" O'brien asked.

"Your uniforms. You're not wearing armor, and the bright colors is a dead giveaway for enemy snipers. A good Dominion sharpshooter will take all of you guys out." Johnson said.

"In the first world war, a captured German sniper said he killed the officers of the French soldiers he was fighting against, because of the bright colored clothing they wore. It was rather contrasting to the mud and dirt they were fighting in. Just something to think about. Worf, unless you plan on using that sash to carry a rifle, i suggest you ditch it." John advised, watching as Worf removed his sash.

John grabbed a sniper rifle and handed it to Worf, while he grabbed a mortar and gave it to Kira.

"You know how to use a mortar?" he asked.

"I've used Cardassian mortars during the occupation. I know how they work." she said, putting the weapon in her drop pod.

"Good to know. A couple things to know about UNSC mortars. Even if the tube malfunctions, you can still prime the mortar itself. Just bang the bottom on a piece of metal and use it as an extremely powerful grenade. And if the tube gets too hot, pour liquid on it. If you don't have any water then urinate on it." John finished, walking away as Kira only looked at Chief with her jaw dropped.

When John finished helping everyone load up on weapons and ammo(John had to explain to the starfleet personal why they needed to bring grenades with them), they were about to enter the dropods when Johnson spoke up.

"Mind if i make a speech?" the sgt asked.

"Go ahead." Worf said.

"Forget all the horseshit you heard about the Dominion! They had their turn, now it's ours! The bastards may have started this mess, but we will finish it! Dinosaur freaks want to use this planet as a base to kill us. We'll yank the surviving Jem'Hadar out of their shit-filled foxholes by their deformed balls! They'll start shitting bricks once we reclaim the planet! Once we find the Jem'Hadar, kill them all!" Johnson finished.

"Amen to that." Worf said as everyone entered their drop pods.

"Arbiter, once we're over the DZ we drop. We'll radio you to pick us up upon completion of our mission." John said.

"Copy that. Good luck, Spartan." Thel said as the pods fell from the carrier. John watched as the ground came closer and closer until the pod impacted on the ground. He kicked the pod open and swept his assault rifle in front of him. Upon seeing no hostiles, he turned around to his pod and yanked out a large machine-gun and put it on his back.

"Chief, take point." Kira said.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7

John led the group towards the Bajoran settlement. But they were encountering nothing. No Bajorans, no Jem'Hadar. It was unnerving to the Spartan. It told him they were being watched.

"Anything, Chief?" Kira asked.

"Nothing. They're waiting for us." John said.

"Any idea where they could be?" Kira asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." John answered.

For the moment, John wished Cortana was with him. She always had something funny and witty to say, or would provide some intel, anything that could help. But John knew she was needed to keep the carrier up and running. And that was more important than his selfish desires.

John quickly raised his arm up with a fist and motioned for everyone to duck, himself dropping to his knees.

"You see anything?" Kira asked.

"Nothing on my sensors. But i do hear birds." John said.

"That's why you stopped us?" Dax asked.

"Those birds are either moving on their own free will, or have been disturbed by something else." Kira said.

"Correct. Keep moving." John said, taking point. Hours passed, and they soon found signs of combat. Plasma burns were seen across the trees and vegetation. Kira put her hand on the burned part of a tree and felt it was cool.

"Whatever happened here happened a while ago. The Jem'Hadar may be gone." Kira said.

"The village may not be far." Worf said.

The night came, and everyone made camp. Looking up, they saw flashes in the night sky. While everyone looked in awe, John was solemn. He knew what was going on up in space.

_'Ironic. In the movie 300, all the Spartans are cheering as the storm destroys the Persian fleet, but Leonidos isn't cheering. He knows that more Persians will be coming. Now right here, everyone else is watching in awe of the space fireworks. But i know full well it's combat between the Arbiter and the Dominion. I know full fucking well that we'll be seeing Dominion troops real soon.'_

…

"Dominion ships are coming for another pass." Cortana said, as the ship shook from weapons fire.

"Fire everything at them. Rotate the ship to distribute the damage." Thel said.

A Dominion fighter made a run towards the Intent, only to be blown to pieces by the point defense lasers. Another fighter attempted a kamikaze run, only to impact onto the thick hull armor, barely scratching it. Thel watched as the Dominion fighters were easily repulsed, though they managed to get in several hits.

"That's the last of the enemy fighters. But if they bring in capital ships, we're in trouble." Cortana said.

"Hide the ship behind the nearest moon, and give me a damage report." Thel said.

Relaxing in the chair, he pulled out a padd and continued to read about the Federation's recent fights with the Cardassians and other wars. What he found greatly disappointed him. He had always suspected the Federation was a paper tiger, but now he was rethinking that statement. It was a paper mouse.

"They abandoned their people to die at the hands of the Cardassians. And they're labeled as terrorists when they try and fight for their freedoms. And this treaty with the Romulans. Why would they purposely cripple themselves? They just handed their territory to the Romulans on a silver platter." Thel said, knowing that if he were in the Romulan's position, he would exploit this Federation weakness to its full extent.

...

Morning came, and they continued their march towards the village. They were now seeing signs of combat between the Jem'Hadar and Bajorans.

"Chief, you smell that?" Kira asked.

John removed his helmet and sniffed with his nose and recoiled in response. He knew what he was smelling.

"Yeah. I know what it is." John said. Pushing a large branch aside, they saw multiple Bajoran bodies tied to the ground side by side. They were horrifically burned, nigh unrecognizable. Kira had to hold in her vomit, remembering what the Cardassians did to her people.

"What's that?" a redshirt asked.

"I'd say plasma fire, but it's more like white phosphorous." John said.

"What's that?" Dax asked.

"Incendiary substance. Burns at 5000 degrees fahrenheit. It'll burn thru just about anything it touches. We used it during the Covenant war to great effect." John said.

"Lets keep moving." Kira said.

"You won't like what you find." Worf warned.

"You know what happened to the colonists?" Dax asked.

"No. But if we're just encountering these few Bajorans, than the fate of the rest is most like theirs." Worf said as they marched past the bodies.

They crawled onto a ridge, most likely overlooking the village. John zoomed in, seeing the burned remains of the settlement.

"How many settlements are on this planet?" Johnson asked.

"Just this massive one. If the Jem'Hadar are still here, lets assume they're watching us." Dax said.  
"Assume? They are watching us." Johnson scoffed.

"Let them come." Dax said; Johnson rolled his eyes at her cockiness and lit a cigar.

"Johnson, put that out. A Jem'Hadar sniper will take your head off." Chief warned.

They searched thru the village, and encountered a grim sight. All the villagers were put in one large pile, having been executed by the Jem'Hadar soldiers. John touched one of the villagers, and noticed the body was cold.

"These people were dead for hours. We better move." John said.

"Shouldn't we stop and bury them?" Kira asked; not wanting to have her countrymen rotting on the surface.

"Chief's right. We can't afford to stay in one location while in enemy territory. We don't even know if the carrier is still in one piece." Johnson said.

"We'll bury them once we confirm the Jem'Hadar are gone." Chief said.

"Thanks, Chief." Kira said.

Yet as they left, John noticed something off his peripheral vision. A shimmer in the air was seen, alerting him as he swiveled his rifle in the direction.

_'Can't be an Elite cloaking device. Unless the Arbiter is here. But he wouldn't cloak himself unless he needed to.'_

Flipping the rifle to automatic, John fired a spray of bullets and a Jem'Hadar soldier fell dead with three bullet holes in his torso.

"How did we not see him?" Worf asked.

"Active camo. I've encountered it during the war. When we get back i'll teach you all how to counter it." John said, examining his dead foe.

"How often did you encounter your enemies using camo?" Jadzia asked.

"Too many to count." Chief said.

With no more interruptions, they came across a good sized river bank and they set up defenses. John had them digging foxholes for defense, and helped Kira set up the mortar for maximum effectiveness. Johnson was positioned with the sniper rifle in the tree above everyone else.

John sat behind the trigger of the mounted machine gun, waiting for an attack. He was busy sharpening his captured Brute dagger when Dax asked him some questions.

"You think they'll attack here?" she asked.

"We'll find out sooner or later." he said, his hands sharpening the dagger while his eyes scanned the opposite side of the river.

"What kind of a dagger is that? Never seen that before." she said.

"Aren't you supposed to be looking for the Dominion?" John asked, not pausing in his motion.

"Yeah." Dax said. A little small talk wouldn't hurt.

"Then shut up and look." John curtly replied.

A searchlight got everyone's attention, and they aimed at it, weapons cycling.

"Hold your fire. They're trying to spot our positions." Worf said.

Everyone waited for something to happen, when weapons fire erupted, heading towards them. A round hit Chief's chest, the shields stopping it. Grabbing the trigger, he pulled the trigger and sent hot lead downrange.

Everyone fired upon the Jem'Hadar, who were more than happy to return the favor. Explosions tore thru the enemy line, as Kira dropped mortar rounds right on their heads, killing several of them. The Jem'Hadar quickly made several attacks thru the river bed, trying to get to the starfleet soldiers.

"Bastards just keep on coming!" Johnson said, as he fired round after round. The Dominion began to make gains as a portion of them began to walk thru the riverbed, trying to outflank their enemies while the main body poured weapons fire upon their foe.

"They're flanking us! Kira, don't let them through!" John said, as he threw a grenade into the enemy forces, killing several.

"Easier said than done! I could use your help, chief!" Kira said.

John lifted the machine gun and ran towards Kira's position, seeing her fire at the Jem'Hadar with her shotgun. John hosed the rest of them down and jumped inside her foxhole.

"Nice to see you, chief." she said, as he fired onto the Jem'Hadar, driving them back. John then ran from his foxhole towards the mountain of dead Jem'Hadar and began to push them aside. A Jem'Hadar soldier ran towards the Chief firing his rifle, only for John to grab him and throw him to the ground and blew his brains out less then a second later.

"Chief, get out of there!" Kira shouted, as she prepared a mortar round. John ran back to the position, seeing Kira throw the impromptu grenade and heard a loud explosion, accompanied by the sounds of dying Jem'Hadar.

"What was that for?" Kira asked.

"We got a clear line of fire." John said, picking up his mounted machine gun. The remaining Jem'Hadar then charged the line, screaming and firing their weapon. John squeezed the trigger, watching as Jem'Hadar fell after Jem'Hadar. It was very similar to a banzai charge.

The fire went on for another hour before all was quiet.

"Maybe we killed them all." Jadzia said.

"They're most likely regrouping for another attack." Worf said.

All they could do is wait. For John, this was something he both relished and hated. The calm gave him the opportunity to get his bearings straight and prepare for the next encounter. But the calm was also unnerving, as he waited for an enemy attack that may never come, or may come when they least expected.

"How long until they attack?" Kira asked.

"They could be preparing to attack at any minute." John said.

"One tactic we used in the resistance was to feign an attack against the Cardassians, keep them on their toes. When they were exhausted and at their wits end, we would launch the full assault. They never stood a chance." Kira said.

"Both the Covenant and the UNSC did the same thing to each other." John said.

…

Daylight came, and everyone looked at the carnage they wrought. Hundreds of dead Jem'Hadar lay ahead of them, strewn from their side of the river to the other side.

"Holy crap. We chewed them up." Jadzia said.

"They just kept on coming. It doesn't make any sense." Kira said, confused.

"They must be really brave, or really stupid." Worf said.

"Or they just fucking hate your guts." John said.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8

With the Jem'Hadar all dead, they buried the bodies of the Bajorans and headed back to DS9.

"Arbiter, how badly were you hit?" Chief asked, approaching his alien friend.

"They got teeth, i'll admit. I will say this, Spartan. Unless we can get the shields up and running, we won't last long in a protracted fight. We both know what plasma can do." Thel said.

"Maybe the Federation can help with that." John said.

"They do have impressive shield tech. But that's all they have. No armor, no cloaking devices. And their recent engagements with the Cardassians and Klingons leaves much to be desired." Thel said.

"What have you learned?" John asked.

"You won't like this, Spartan. They lost a border war with Cardassia and abandoned their people to suffer at their hands. And when they rose up to secure their freedoms, their traitorous government labels them as terrorists. They don't even have cloaking devices on their ships. They had a treaty with Romulus, which forbid them to develop their own cloaks." Thel said.

"The UNSC didn't have widespread cloaks, and we left plenty of people behind when facing the Covenant." Chief said.

"The Covenant had your UNSC outnumbered and outgunned. Leaving people behind was bound to happen during your retreat. This Federation had a bigger fleet than the Cardassians, and the Cardassians bluffed about their strength. I'm beginning to wonder if we should align ourselves with this Federation." Thel said.

"Time will tell, Arbiter. But we don't have many choices. As much as you may not like the Federation, it may be the only chance we have to return home." John said.

"I know. I'm just hoping this Federation can get their shit together before it's too late." Thel said.

"You don't think they'll be ready?" John asked.

"No. Spartan, the sector around DS9 has got to be the most important piece of real estate the Federation has. And they don't even have a fleet here to protect it. Your AI tells me that if the Klingons wanted to, they could easily take Bajoran space if they so wished. But they're too busy fighting the Cardassians. This Federation is afraid of offending others by showing teeth." Thel said.

"Then they're doomed to fail. Those Jem'Hadar were brutal and efficient. The only reason we won that fight is because me and Johnson were down there. The starfleet forces were nothing more than security guards, not even marines. They didn't even have a single automatic weapon with them." John said.

"That's a problem. No training, no proper weaponry. Perhaps we can help train them in combat. Both ground and space." Arbiter said.

…

The senior staff was in the ready room, where the Arbiter's request was given to them.

"We need to start training the starfleet forces on the station. If the Chief and I weren't there, those pajama wearing security guards would be dead right now. The Jem'Hadar aren't fucking around." Johnson said.

"You won't have to worry about that. Starfleet has some of the best security in the quadrant." O'brien said.

"I'm sure the Bajorans who were butchered and burned with white phosphorus would disagree with you." Johnson said.

"What's white phosphorus?" Bashir asked.

"A substance that burns at 5000 farenheight. Has to be one of the worst ways to go. We used in the war plenty of times. It'll burn thru everything it touches." Chief said.

"Don't know what white phosphorus is? Next thing you'll know they'll be asking what napalm is, or what gunpowder is, or even what is plutonium." Johnson sarcastically said before lighting up a cigar.

"Gentlemen, I understand your concerns. But we've been preparing for a Jem'Hadar attack some time. This station is heavily armed to the teeth." Sisko said.

"Captain, this station can't hold off a Jem'Hadar attack. Not by itself. The Jem'Hadar will keep the majority of its forces to cripple or even destroy the station, while the rest of the fleet will glass Bajor." John said.

"How do you know that?" Sisko asked.

"It's what i'd do Captain. During the battle of Earth, we had 300 super MACs platforms in orbit to destroy the Covenant fleets that came after the planet. And the platforms were also protected by UNSC warships and hundreds, if not thousands of fighter escorts. The Covenant did sweep away the orbital defenses, but they paid a good blood toll. Right now captain, it wouldn't take much for any attacking power to take the Bajoran sector." Chief said.

"Maybe. But we also have the defiant and your carrier. Surely that can help." Kira said, walking in.

"It won't. Earth, 1945. The IJN Yamato was the most powerful battleship the world had ever seen. It was sunk by hundreds of American warplanes. And the same fate will happen to the station and Bajor, unless your Federation can get a fleet up here. And i'm not talking about a piddly-ass fleet of a few dozen. I'm talking about at least a hundred ships in the sector." Johnson said.

Sisko rubbed his head in frustration. He knew they were right. But he also knew of the bureaucratic mess starfleet and the federation had become. By the time they'd agree to send ships to the sector, it would be too late.

"That'll be more difficult. The Federation doesn't believe in warships, and sending a massive fleet to the sector will be a problem. It'll take months to shove the idea down their throats." Sisko said.

Arbiter stood up and approached Sisko, anger in his eyes.

"Then you have one option left. Surrender." he said.

"Never." Sisko said.

"If your leaders refuse to take action, they will be forced to sign the paper of surrender when the Jem'Hadar raise their banner over the smoking ruins of earth. I doubt your citizens will pick up a rifle and fight. At least their humans were willing to fight!" Thel said, pointing to Chief and Johnson, before he continued.

"I've seen records during the war of human civilians, not soldiers attacking the covenant not only with guns, but with stones, knives even their bare hands. Your leaders should be careful of their next choices. The universe will not mourn the passing of a race that refused to defend itself."

Thel stormed out of the room, leaving everyone else in silence.

"Arbiter's right, captain. We need to train your crew. You guys need to bring back these guys." John said, handing him a padd.

"Military assault command operations. I've heard about them. They were some of the best starfleet had. They were disbanded when the Federation was formed." O'brien said.

"That was a mistake. You should bring them back, build up the force while you still have time." John said.

"They do have a point. Bajor still has a standing militia. Can you say the same about Vulcan, Andoria, or Earth?" Kira asked.

"Andoria still has their own armed forces. I'll talk to starfleet command, see if i can nudge them." Sisko said.

"Send them these photos. It shows the Bajorans from the settlement. They were mutilated and burned beyond recognition. Tell your leaders that this will be the fate of every last citizen in the Federation if you don't grow a pair." Johnson said.

"One more thing. What kind of training do you want to start on?" Jadzia asked.

"We'll start with ship to ship combat. I'd also like to train your pilots on fighting in the atmosphere." Chief said.

"That'll be quite the experience, Chief. Did you fly fighters during your war?" Kira asked.

"Many times. It's very different then flying in space. For now, it'll be the defiant against the Shadow of Intent and her escort fighters. During that fight, Me, Sgt Johnson, and Arbiter will beam aboard the station and engage your security forces."

"Then who'll be running your ship?" Odo asked.

"Cortana. She's more than capable of running the ship by herself." Chief said.

"Makes sense. But the defiant against that carrier? I don't like those odds." O'brien said.

"If the Dominion banzai charge thru the wormhole, you may find yourselves in that scenario. Cortana, can the station survive a glassing from a covenant assault carrier?" Chief asked.

"Not a chance in hell, chief. You don't need the glassing beam. A full broadside of everything from the carrier will reduce the station to molten slag." Cortana said.

"Then it's settled. We'll start in 5 hours." Sisko said.

"I'd recommend keeping all non-essential personal confined to quarters. The last they need to see is a firefight between you three and station security." Odo said.

"Couldn't agree more." Sisko said.

As everyone left, Chief pulled Odo aside.

"I want to spar with you, constable." Chief said.

"What for?" Odo asked, amused.

"Your people are the leaders of the Dominion, and have infiltrated the alpha quadrant. Chances are we may have to engage your kind in hand to hand." Chief said.

"Better head to quarks." Odo said.

Chief and Odo approached Quark.

"Well this is interesting. A shapeshifter and a goliath augment walk into a bar. What can i do for you gentlemen?" Quark asked.

"We need access to one of your holodecks. Chief here wants to spar with me. Claims wartime necessities." Odo smirked.

"It could save thousands of lives, Odo. Think about that." Chief said.

Entering the holodeck, John pulled out his pistol and started to fire at Odo. With his Spartan time, he saw Odo's physiology let the bullets go thru him and hit the wall behind him.

"Shit." Chief said, as Odo lunged at him.

Both combatants were at equal strength, as Odo had to contend with Chief's incredible strength and durability, while John was caught off-guard by Odo's shape-shifting ability. He couldn't help but remember the fight between the two terminators in Terminator 2, Judgment day. He was in the foot of the T-800. It was strong and powerful, its metal frame allowing it to take lasting punishment. Odo was in the foot of the T-1000, being faster and more agile than John yet he couldn't take as much punishment. John pulled out his energy sword and swung upward, hearing Odo scream in pain.

Odo looked at his arm, seeing the burning stump and the cauterized end.

"My species can be killed by intense heat. What kind of weapon is that?" Odo asked, as he began to regenerate his severed arm.

"Energy sword." John said, putting it away.

"Well, nice sparring with you." Odo said.

While Worf took the Defiant out to engage in the mock-fight against the Covenant warship, Sisko and co stayed behind on the station.

"Arbiter, we're ready." Sisko said.

"Copy that." Arbiter said, cutting off the comms.

"Chief, what's the plan?" Johnson asked, as they headed to the edge of the Bajoran system.

"Simple. Cortana will stay behind and control the ship. We beam aboard the station and keep themselves occupied, forced to fight a two-front war. Cortana, show them the meaning of space combat." Chief said.

The covenant warship let loose with a barrage of plasma and missile fire, impacting upon the shields of the station.

"The shields will hold, but not for long." O'Brien said.

"Chief, how long can the station survive without shields?" Jadzia asked.

"Not long. That plasma will eat thru just about anything it touches." O'Brien said.

The Defiant broke away from the station, and went to engage the carrier. As they came closer, they also came under a barrage of plasma fire.

"Jadzia, get us close to that carrier!" Sisko ordered.

"I'm trying, but they're throwing everything at us." Jadzia said, turning her head away from the bright explosions. The ship was rocked to the side as one of the energy projectors tore thru the shields and hull armor.

"Chief, i need a damage report!" Sisko said.

"Captain, that shot left us dead in the water. We've lost this fight." O'Brien said.

Sisko sat in the chair, rubbing his head. They lost the space battle, and watched as the carrier headed to the station, firing more plasma at the station.

"The shields are down. Get to the station before they come up." Cortana said.

Entering drop pods, they were released from the carrier and rocketed towards the station, seeing weapons fire between the two sides.

"Once we get inside, head towards the life support systems. Once the air is sucked out of the station, we'll hold Bajor hostage." Chief said, as they impacted onto the station.

Entering thru an airlock, John took point, firing stun rounds at the starfleet and Bajoran security officers, knocking many of them out.

"Keep going, don't stop!" John ordered.

The security officers were powerless against Spartan-2 as he tore thru the hapless guards. Thel and Johnson headed to the lower decks while John continued his path of destruction towards the damage controls.

"Chief, you're close to their life support." Cortana said, as she fired torpedoes at the station.

"Cortana, can you access the station's life support? I want to make it look like we sucked the air out." Chief said.

"Easier said than done. That station has some serious firepower under its belt. I'm staying out of range for the time being." Cortana said.

"We'll get it done."

Pulling up the station's schematics, John headed to the life support system and contacted the bridge.

"This is Sierra 117. The station is hours." John announced.

"Damn it." Sisko said, as the Shadow of Intent towed the defiant back to DS9.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch 9

John watched as the current batch of starfleet crew fired their phasers at the range. He took notice of the energy output, and how long the rifle could be fired in combat without being recharged. Grabbing one of the phaser rifles, he looked at the readings and frowned behind his helmet. It was apparent that covenant plasma rifles had a larger capacity than the federation rifles.

Click. John quickly moved down the line, seeing a security guard look at her rifle as she pointed it towards her fellow officers. John grabs the barrel of the rifle and points it downrange just as a blast of phaser energy is shot out.

"Were you trained in weapons safety?" John asked.

"All starfleet members are." the guard said.

John yanked the rifle away from her.

"You keep your weapon pointed down range, or i'll shove it up your ass. Fieldstrip this rifle, and figure out what went wrong."

The officer rolled her eyes, yet complied with John's orders. Chief only shook his head in disappointment. If they weren't willing to obey simple rules of gun safety, than they had no hope of fighting the disciplined Jem'Hadar.

"Spartan, captain Sisko wants to see you. Says it's important." Kira said, entering the shooting range.

"Lead the way." John said.

"So, how's it going?" Kira asked.

"Not good. Some of the 'security' officers seem ignorant of basic gun rules. I'm thinking of running the starfleet officers thru boot camp." John said.

"I'd pay top money for that." Kira said, as they entered Sisko's office.

"Sir." John said, standing to attention.

"At ease, chief. We've sent all data about your engagement with the Jem'Hadar to starfleet HQ. And they want to hear it from you." Sisko said.

"I didn't leave out anything in my report. Why the debriefing?" John asked.

"Frankly, they're having a hard time buying the threat of the Jem'Hadar. They think you're exaggerating. If you were to tell it yourself, maybe they'll reconsider." Sisko said.

"Captain, the only chance they'll take the threat seriously is after the body bags start coming home." John said.

"In your war with the Covenant, did you guys take the threat seriously?" Sisko asked.

"We did. The Covenant made their intentions known during the first few months of the war. They claimed that humanity was a blight on the galaxy, and that their gods ordered the destruction of their enemy. We couldn't afford to pussy foot on this matter, so we quickly prepared for war." Chief said.

"Interesting. The Defiant was built as a response to a deadly attack by a species called the borg. As the threat of further borg attacks diminished, the Defiant was put into mothballs. But now with the Dominion, she was put into service." Sisko said, knowing how bad it made the Federation look in the Spartan's eyes.

"Captain, If you want my honest opinion, i think your Federation is going to lose." Chief said.

"Lose?" Sisko asked.

"I have no reason, seen no evidence to convince me that your Federation will prevail in a war against the Dominion. No cloaks, no proper weapons and training for your soldiers. Hell, i doubt there's a fleet of warships to defend earth. Is the federation in the middle of an economic depression? Because that's the only reason i can think your security is so lax." John said.

"Chief, you know the Federation is a post scarcity society. Now, i can't answer your questions. And you're right about the upcoming war. But head to starfleet HQ to use this opportunity to voice your concerns." Sisko said.

"They won't like what i have to say." John warned. He had no patience for fools of any kind.

"Maybe. But at least it'll get them to notice." Sisko said, sharing the Spartan's frustrations.

…

"We'll take my carrier." Thel said.

"I appreciate the offer. But didn't you say you were having trouble with your slipstream drive?" Sisko asked.

"She can hold out. I'm thinking we can have it repaired at earth. But there is a catch." Thel said.

"What's the catch?" Sisko asked.

"I'll need to drop and destroy the slipstream drive in an open area of space. I doubt your people have worked with such a device. Why take a chance?" Thel asked.

"Good point. We can equip your ship with warp drives from our runabouts. It may not be much, but it's better than limping at impulse." Sisko said.

"Thanks for your help, captain Sisko." Thel said.

Leaving deep space nine, Sisko stood next to Thel as they headed to earth. Thel raised an eyebrow when he saw that Sisko's coordinates for earth was the same as in the ship's database.

"Construct, spin up the FTL drives and head to earth." Thel said.

"Yes, sir." Cortana said.

As they headed to earth, Chief and Sisko talked about each other's earth.

"You said your earth was heavily defended." Sisko said.

"It was. 300 orbital defense platforms, along with over 100 ships. Earth was a fortress at the end of the war. It was also one of the few planets that wasn't destroyed during the war. But we were hit by the covenant. We made them pay in blood. You heard of Stalingrad?" Chief asked.

"No." Sisko said.

"It was a battle on earth, from late 1942 to early 1943. The Soviets fought tooth and nail to keep the city out of enemy hands. The house to house fighting was so brutal, it was said that the Germans held the kitchen, while the living room was in Russian hands. Every corner, every building was a killing zone for both sides. When the covenant came knocking on earth, it was the same rat-war all over again." Chief said.

"We haven't seen that kind of warfare for over 300 years." Sisko said.

"What kinds of defenses does earth have?" John said.

"We do have ships in the area. Roughly 40 ships at any given moment." Sisko said.

"Reach had 150 ships, and it still wasn't enough." John countered.

"What are orbital defense platforms?" Sisko asked.

"A defense station in geosynchronous orbit above a planet. The orbital platforms that the UNSC had, was basically a super-MAC. It had the power to destroy a fully shielded covenant capital ship, just like the one we're on." Chief said.

"I've never heard of that. What kind of weapons did this super-MAC have?" Sisko asked.

"It was basically a giant rail-gun. At the speed it could launch a projectile, nothing could withstand it. Does your federation have weapons like that?" Chief asked.

"We don't use projectile weapons. And we don't have orbital defenses." Sisko said.

"What about ground based defenses?" John asked.

"Plenty." Sisko said.

"That's a first." John sarcastically said.

…

_USS Enterprise-E_

_In earth orbit_

"Captain, i'm picking up some strange anomaly. It's opening in front of us." Data said.

"On screen." Picard said.

The viewscreen showed a slipstream vortex opening, and a large warship appeared out of it.

"I've heard reports of a massive warship orbiting Bajor. I always thought it was hyperbole." Riker said.

"Sir, they're hailing us." Troi said.

"On screen." Picard said.

The viewscreen showed Captain Sisko, and standing next to him as a large figure wearing green armor armed with a rifle.

"Troi, can you sense anything from that… figure?" Picard asked.

"It's a man. Human. I'm sensing pain. Anger. And pure grit." Troi said.

"What kind of a man would wear such armor? Is he a soldier?" Riker asked.

"I'm captain Sisko of deep space nine. Nice to see you, Picard." Sisko said.

"You to. Who's the man standing next to you?" Sisko asked.

"Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 of the UNSC navy. It's a long story." Sisko said.

"I've been ordered to escort your ship to earth." Picard said.

"The ship is in need of repairs. We've taken damage from the Dominion, and the ship's FTL drive is close to failing. We need it replaced with a starfleet warp-drive." Sisko said.

"We'll see what we can do. Picard, out."

Just like Sisko said, dozens of Federation vessels were seen orbiting earth. They cleared a path away from the Covenant carrier, as if they were afraid of it. Not seeing any shipyards big enough for the ship, Cortana parked the vessel in earth orbit. Sisko, Chief, and Cortana headed onto a pelican dropship and dove towards starfleet command.

Breaking thru the clouds, Sisko directed John where to land. Seeing an airstrip willed with starfleet shuttles, Chief parked next to the shuttles and walked out.

"Where to?" John asked.

"Follow me." Sisko said.

_Starfleet HQ_

"Everyone, sit down. I've been told our guests will arrive any moment." President Jaresh-Inyo said, raising his hand.

The doors opened, and Sisko and Chief walked into the room.

"What on earth?" Nechayev asked, seeing the 7 foot tall super soldier.

"Ladies and gentlemen. This is Master Chief Petty Officer John-117." Sisko said.

"Nice to meet you." Jaresh said.

"Likewise, sir." John said.

"First question. What are you?" Admiral Ross asked.

"I'm a Spartan-2 supersoldier. Trained to defend Earth and her colonies." John said.

"You're an augment?" someone asked, shock in her voice.

"I'm aware of your feelings about augments. But you won't have to worry about me. I have something to say to everyone here." John said.

"Chief." Sisko started.

"Captain, they need to know. You need to prepare for the Dominion. Start building state of the art warships, orbital defense platforms. Build a well trained and well supplied army. Turn your space into a fortress so powerful the Dominion will think twice about attacking." John said.

"I agree that we need to prepare, but what you're asking is to turn the Federation into military-police state." Nechayev said.

"I've been in combat against the Jem'Hadar. You need to see it for yourself." John said, pulling out Cortana's AI chip and inserted it into a view screen. Cortana pulled up the mission where they went to the Bajoran farm.

Everyone watched as John engaged the Jem'Hadar, firing his machine-gun at them. John lifted the weapon with ease and ran towards Kira's position, seeing her fire the shotgun at the enemy soldiers, killing one with each shot.

The viewscreen continued to show the carnage, John made note about his hand to hand engagement with the Jem'Hadar.

"My god. You killed that many enemy soldiers?" one of the captain's asked.

"That's all true. This is a taste of what the Jem'Hadar are capable off. A Bajoran outpost went dark, we were sent to figure out what happened. This is what happened to the Bajorans we found." Chief said.

The footage showed the team finding the Bajorans that were burned with phosphorus. John heard the admirals and politicians whisper among themselves, but John's augmented ears caught what they said.

"...i can't believe that… he's lying… we need to negotiate with the Dominion…"

"One more thing." John said, catching their attention. "The ship we were on, was engaged in combat against the Jem'Hadar. I understand that your first engagement with the Dominion resulted in the loss of one of your ships." Chief said.

"Yes." Nechayev said. She headed to the screen and put in a few codes. It showed an active camera from one of the runabouts, chasing a Jem'Hadar fighter. The enemy ship made a kamikaze run towards the bigger starfleet vessel and ran into it. The starfleet vessel blew up a few seconds later.

"May i say something?" John asked.

"Of course." the president said.

"I understand that your ships don't have armor. If that vessel had sufficient armor, it may have survived. History repeats." John said.

"Excuse me?" Nechayev asked.

"Near the end of the second world war, the Japanese Empire resorted to kamikaze runs, crashing their planes into American and British warships. Heavily armored ships, like battleships easily shrugged off the attacks." John said.

"You said your ship was engaged in combat." admiral Ross said.

"Of course." John said.

The viewscreen showed the covenant carrier fending off multiple Jem'Hadar fighters. Plasma from both sides traveled across space. The covenant warship buckled under the fire, and destroyed the Jem'Hadar fighters with continuous fire. Jem'Hadar torpedoes were shot down thanks to the carriers multiple pulse laser cannons, acting as a CIWS.

The viewscreen shifted to a camera rapidly firing plasma at an incoming fighter. The Jem'Hadar came closer and closer until it hit the side of the carrier, stopped dead from the armor. The footage quickly went to static as a plasma torpedo destroyed the weapon emplacement.

"Impressive. Not one of our ships is capable of going toe to toe with the Jem'Hadar and surviving." Nechayev said.

"The carrier has 40 meters of nanolaminate armor. That armor comes quite handy in enduring blows." John said.

"Is this all you have to say?" the president asked.

"That's all. I hope to god you take the time to prepare for a war with the Dominion. If it can be avoided, great. But i was trained to be prepared for the unexpected. May i ask a few questions?" John asked.

"Sure." the president said.

"If the Dominion come thru the wormhole with bayonets charged, they'll take the station and maybe destroy Bajor. Not to mention we're right next to Cardassia, a hostile power at war with the Klingons. Why isn't there a fleet to protect Bajor?" Chief asked.

"Starfleet is spread pretty thin at the moment. But we are building new ships. Would you like them sent to Bajor?" Ross asked.

"I strongly recommend that." Chief said. "I also recommend you increase your ship productions. If you're worried about manpower shortages, make the ships automatic." Chief said.

"Chief, we're prepared for war against the Dominion. Is that all?" Nechayev asked.

"One final thing. The ship i'm on, the FTL drive is damaged. We need to replace it with one of your warp drives. If it can be done." John said.

"We were told about that before you came down here. No need to regurgitate it." the president said.

"Of course, sir." John said. He grabbed the AI chip and left the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch 10

"Well, that was something." Sisko said, rubbing his eyes.

"Captain, where did he come from?"

"It's a long story, Admiral. One i'd rather not talk about. The Chief is right. We do need to prepare for war with the Dominion." Sisko said.

"I agree." Nechayev said.

"It'll be a tough sell to the public. They think that having starfleet vessels in orbit is enough." the president said.

"Lets hope it is enough. But we should increase the size of starfleet's forces. If recruitment isn't good enough, then we institute the draft. I know it'll be controversial and unpopular. But once the Dominion start taking Federation planets, i think the populace will start seeing things differently." Sisko said.

"You're talking as if war is guaranteed." an aid said.

"I hope i'm wrong. Because god help us all if i'm not." Sisko said.

Inside his guest quarters, John meditated over his recent talk with the starfleet brass. He couldn't understand why they didn't take the Dominion seriously. Ever since he stepped foot on DS9, he always heard how dangerous the Dominion was, how they were going to invade the quadrant and kill billions in the upcoming war. Why couldn't their leaders see that?

"What are you thinking about, John?" Cortana asked, though she knew full well what he was thinking about.

"Same shit, different day." John said, when Sisko came in. John stood up at attention yet Sisko waved him off.

"At ease, chief. I've just spoken with starfleet command. They said they'll consider your recommendations. Hell, i suggested they start the draft and they wanted to throw me out of the room." Sisko said.

"Draft is never popular. But it is necessary in times of war. How long has it been since your Federation has been involved in a massive war? And don't tell me about the Cardassians. That's a mere border skirmish, one that you lost." John said.

"Chief, you are here as a guest to starfleet command. I'd appreciate it if you would cut back on your cynicism. The Federation isn't as weak as you think it is." Sisko said.

"No plan survives contact with the enemy. We both know that." John said.

"Did your UNSC institute a draft?" Sisko asked.

"We did. As expected, several resisted and tried to evade the draft. The Covenant were going to kill every human they could get their hands on. Avoiding the draft would only delay the inevitable." John said.

"What happened to those who resisted the draft?" Sisko asked.

"At first, we put them in prison. As the war dragged on, and the Covenant began to push deeper into human space, we had to make some hard decisions. Food, water, medicine, living space. It was all being rationed. Why should those who refused to fight be given the comforts of home?" John asked.

"Your leaders killed them." Sisko said, shocked.

"I didn't like it either. Hard times call for hard measures." John said.

"You sound like a Cardassian." Sisko said.

"Not sure what to make of that. How long until the carrier is repaired?" John asked.

"It'll be a few days. I suggest you try to relax." Sisko said, though it seemed that relaxing was the last thing John wanted to do.

Sisko left the room, leaving the Spartan to himself.

"I wonder how Johnson is doing back at the station." Chief mused.

…

_Deep Space Nine_

"You call that a grenade throw?! I've seen babies toss grenades better than that!" Johnson said. The security officer grabbed another grenade and threw it towards the target.

"Hey, blondie. Here's a joke. You know what to do when a blond throws a grenade at you? Pull the pin and throw it back at them." Johnson said. He grabbed a frag grenade out of a case and showed the correct way to use the weapon.

…

"I'm sure he's doing just fine." Cortana said.

"I'm sure you've taken the time to go thru their database. What have you learned?" John asked.

"Plenty. But at the moment, i'm working on adapting their holographic technology to my matrix. It shouldn't take long." Cortana said, as John inserted the chip into a holographic table. Cortana turned around and saw John taking apart a Klingon sniper rifle.

"How will it affect you?" John asked.

"Only for the better. I'll have increased memory, a longer lifespan. John, i could end up meta-stable. It's still speculation and theory, but their AI tech is far beyond what the UNSC has. Imagine the possibilities. What i could feel and sense. Not exactly as a human, but close enough. You know, we have time before we have to head back to the station. We could go to Risa. Spend some time at a beach, watch a sunset." Cortana said. She was now looking thru the window at the bright sun.

"You've been spending some time with Jadzia." Chief said.

"Well, she is the science officer on the station. I have spoken with her about my idea." Cortana said.

"What did she say?" Chief asked, now curious.

"She told me not to get my hopes up, but it could very well happen." Cortana said.

"She's smart, i'll give her that. Being a trill with 7 lifetimes will do that." John said.

"That's true. But she seems to frivolous, almost eager to indulge in hedonistic pleasures off-duty. Not that's a problem with wanting to destress." Cortana said.

"Amen on that. Dr. Halsey would love to meet with her. But regarding this procedure of yours. I'd rather trust Dr. Halsey than Jadzia." John said.

"That's because i was created by Dr. Halsey." Cortana said.

The racking of a bolt was heard and she turned around to see John putting the rifle on his back.

"Before the shit hits the fan, promise me you'll figure out which one of us in the machine." Cortana said, with a hinge of sadness in her voice. Though no-one would know by looking at him, Cortana knew the Chief was briefly disturbed by that off-hand remark.

The door opened, and Sisko came back in.

"Chief, before we left Jadzia told me that Cortana wanted to work on augmenting her matrix. Too much technobabble for my taste, but captain Picard is willing to help." Sisko said.

"Thanks, captain. When is he expecting us?" John asked.

"You can head up to his ship right now." Sisko said. He contacted Picard with his combadge and had them beamed up to the Enterprise.

John found himself beamed aboard the flagship. He walked down the hallway, and hid in a corridor. Removing his helmet, he put his fingers down his throat and proceeded to vomit.

"You okay?" Cortana asked.

"Teleportation. It's not something i'll ever get used to." John said.

"I'm putting the engineering room on your HUD. Lets see what's waiting for us." Cortana said.

LaForge was busy with the warp core, when he heard his crew gasp. Turning around, he saw the Chief walking towards them.

"Lieutenant La Forge." Chief said.

"Yes, sir. And you're the Chief. Nice to meet you." LaForge said, shaking John's hand.

"Have you been briefed on why i'm here?" John asked, removing Cortana's AI chip.

"Yes. And i'm curious about this AI of yours." LaForge said, seeing Cortana appear on top of the chip.

"Nice to meet you, Mr LaForge. My name is Cortana, and i'm a third generation AI created by the UNSC." she said.

"Fascinating." Data said, entering the room. Unlike everyone else who looked at the Spartan with fear, he only looked at the Chief with amazement.

"You're an augment. What kind of armor is that?" Data asked.

"That's classified. I've heard about you. The only android in Starfleet." Cortana said.

"Correct. Dr Song created me in the year 2336. I went thru the starfleet academy five years later." Data said.

"Cortana has an idea to combine her matrix with one of your hologram matrices. She claims it will increase her lifespan, if not make her meta-stable." John said.

"Meta-stable?" Data asked.

"Immortality for AI. I am a smart AI, cloned from the brain of my creator Dr Halsey. It does have a drawback. My lifespan is only 7 years. After that, AI will go thru rampancy. Think it of as complete and utter insanity." Cortana said.

"Is there a cure for this rampancy?" LaForge asked.

"None that i know of. I'm hoping that this theory of mine can provide the cure." Cortana said.

John watched as Data and LaForge worked on Cortana, hocking her up to various objects. He wanted to object, yet knew this could be Cortana's last chance for metastability.

Cortana appeared above the data disk and gave a cheerful smile to John. Yet she was also worried. What if it failed? What if she died during these experiments? Closing her eyes, she focused on her the data she collected during her time in the new galaxy. She heard how the engineers were working on her, and what they were discussing.

"The matrix on this AI is rather dated compared to something like Data." an engineer said.

_Dated!?_ Cortana flushed an angry red, wanting to show this officer that she wasn't dated. She immediately attempted to access the nearby consoles, but found that the firewalls were tougher than she expected.

"And here i was, thinking they skimped on their firewall protection." Cortana said.

With that option gone, she began to work on gathering information that floated her boat. Most of it was harmless, getting information about Risa, Vulcan, and other planets. She was bored, wanting to keep herself busy.

"Chief, the captain wants to speak to you." a yeomen said, approaching the giant.

"Lead the way." Chief said.

Entering the meeting room, John saw the captain along with two other people.

"Thanks for coming, Chief. We have a few things to discuss." Picard said.

"What do you want to discuss?" Chief asked.

"We've been told about your meeting with starfleet command. You honestly believe we're not ready for war with the Dominion?" Riker asked.

"Not that I could tell. I've been at deep space nine for the past few months. I've been involved in at least three engagements with the Jem'Hadar. They've been attacking your ships, destroying any new colonies you've built in the quadrant. They're coming your way." Chief said.

"And we'll be ready to meet them. But for the moment, the Federation wants to try a diplomatic approach." Riker said.

"What if this Dominion isn't interested in diplomacy? What if your efforts fail? They'll come charging thru the wormhole, and we only have 3 assets to defend the station. Get a fleet to the station." Chief said.

"That'll take time." Riker said.

"How long?" Chief asked.

"It'll take two weeks." Picard said.

_UNSC took three days to get a fleet to Reach, and that was while Reach was being bombed. How bad is their logistics?_

The lights in the room suddenly flickered on and off. Picard called engineering yet Chief knew what was really going on.

"Cortana." he muttered.

John raced thru the corridors, and all but kicked the doors down to engineering. LaForge walked to him, handing him a pad.

"Is Cortana okay?" John asked.

"More than okay. Take a look." he said. John followed the engineer to an adjacent office. John stopped in his tracks, seeing Cortana sitting in a chair.

"How…" John started when Cortana stood up and walked to him.

"Oh. I'm the strangest thing you've seen all day?" she asked, teasing the super-soldier.

"We embedded our holographic matrices into her own programming. She can touch and feel things, just as if she were human." LaForge said.

"I don't know what to say." John said.

"Well, I know what to say. Thank you." Cortana said.


End file.
